The Tennessee-based Marble City Opera will present “Lily; his life, his music â€on October 29 and 30, 2021.
The showcase, which will be shown at the Flying Anvil Theater in Knoxville, will feature mezzo-soprano, Audrey Babcock, alongside pianist Ray Fellman. James Marvel will direct the performance.
“Lily” is a solo musical drama starring music by Kurt Weill that presents the story of cabaret singer Lily Weiss as she travels from the cabarets of pre-war 1930s Berlin to Paris and eventually to United States.
“We have all experienced collective trauma. Healing can only be done through music for some, but I hope this story can be a vehicle for the audience. There is something visceral about Weill’s music and the various poets he has put to song. Themes share a tone – Harsh. Gravelly. True. No frills. Nothing more. Raw, â€said Babcock, who created the show, in a press release. “Lily suffers from the circumstances, but first and foremost she is a survivor. I have a feeling that the stories of the Phoenix rising from the ashes will help us all find, mine, and raise our own grain as the dawn of what’s to come. Art should uplift, escalate, or at least an illicit emotion… if we could all feel a little more – together in community if possible safely – maybe there is a way to bridge what divides us.
