More about Trouble in Tahiti and Bon Appétit

Trouble in Tahiti

Leonard Bernstein's one-act masterpiece, Trouble in Tahiti, represents Bernstein's first foray into opera musical theater. Written in 1952 for the first graduation ceremonies of Brandeis University, it is a tale of suburban love in distress and depicts the longing lurking beneath the surface of a perfect 1950’s American marriage. Bernstein, who wrote his own libretto, sought to break new ground in Trouble in Tahiti by creating “a truly American opera.” He focuses on two main characters, a married couple named Sam and Dinah, and takes us through the events of one day in their lives with the help of a trio of singers, which he called "a sort of Greek chorus born of pop radio commercials." All of the music and words derive from American vernacular and popular roots. Bernstein deliberately avoided anything overtly “operatic,” saying his goal was to set words the most natural way possible so “they will sound in the American cadence and with the American kind of syncopated, almost slurred quality.” Bernstein began Trouble in Tahiti while in Mexico on his honeymoon with his new bride, actress Felicia Monealegre—calling it “a really nice surprise from the Gods” and telling his manager to cancel all his gigs because his creative juices were flowing. Even so, he barely finished it in time to conduct its first performance at Brandeis. It is thought that Sam and Dinah may well have been inspired by the difficult marriage of Bernstein's own mother and father.

Bon Appétit!

BMO ’s evening concludes with a taste of “Bon Appétit!,” Lee Hoiby's musicalization of a classic Julia Child WGBH 1961 television broadcast. In this “episode,” the master chef —played by veteran Broadway star Judy Kaye—demonstrates the makings of a classic French chocolate cake in her beloved and inimitable style. Hoiby's lively score illuminates Child's words and witticisms and takes viewers on a musical journey while this culinary adventure unfolds before their eyes.