No wonder that with solid music and drama added to pertinent theme, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” should cause such strong response.īy chance, on Saturday afternoon, between my two viewings of “(R)evolution,” over WFIU, I heard a Los Angeles Opera performance of Verdi’s early opera, “Nabucco,” about the Babylonian emperor of Biblical times who enslaved the Jews. Opera may be an old artistic genre, but successful creative teams always sought to keep it relevant by finding themes of their time, and none is more of our time than what Jobs added to the near past, the present, and a who-knows-how-long future. Mason and Campbell have chosen a brilliant, driven, and deeply flawed hero as their subject, a fact that perhaps will seal the deal for the opera’s success, once the premieres are done. On Friday, with its opening-night, general admission, cheaper admission policy, student presence was extra evident, and so was response from an age group for whom the central character and his place in our dramatically changing modern world hold particular significance. The results of talent and hard work are evident from start to finish in this 90-minute, no-intermission show.Īudience response was strong on both Friday and Saturday evenings last weekend. Word has it, in fact, that the visiting folks-in-charge were amazed at what the students accomplished: their thorough preparation before rehearsals began, their immersion in duties once the official period of preparation did, their enthusiasm for the opportunity of getting involved, the solo singers’ total support for each other, a situation that, the visiting pros say, all too rarely happens in their pro world.

Seattle opera steve jobs