''Where's Dick?'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in two acts composed by Stewart Wallace. The work uses an English language libretto by

Michael Korie Michael Korie (born April 1, 1955) is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing for musical theater and opera includes the musicals ''Grey Gardens'' and '' Far From Heaven'', and the operas ''Harvey Milk'' and ''The Grapes of Wrath''. His ...

. The opera is satire on 1980s American life and tabloid journalism and follows the experiences of Junior ("an all-American boy") who in reaction to the crime and corruption he sees around him searches for the detective hero Dick Tracy. It was first performed in a workshop format by

Opera Omaha Opera Omaha is a major regional opera company in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1958, the professional company is widely known for the International Fall Festival events it held in the 1980s and 1990s, which garnered international attention and served ...

on 26 September 1987. The production was led by conductor Jeff Halpern and starred Consuela Hill as Chief Blowhard, Lauren Flanigan as Mrs. Heimilich, and Henry Stram as Junior. The opera's first full-scale production and official premiere, with largely the same cast, was given at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Houston and was produced for Houston Grand Opera on 24 May 1989 by its touring arm, Texas Opera Theater. HGO music director

John DeMain John DeMain is an American conductor, currently in his 29th year as music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin, as well as serving as artistic director of Madison Opera. He was music director and principal conductor of Houston ...

conducted a run of eight performances. ''Where's Dick'' was the first of Wallace's operas to be given a fully staged performance and the first collaboration between Wallace and his librettist, Michael Corrie.Swed (15 January 1995) They went on to create several more operas, including ''Kabbalah'' (1989), ''

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...

'' (1995), and ''Hopper's Wife'' (1997).

References

Notes Sources * * Griffel, Margaret Ross and Fried, Adrienne (1999). "''Where's Dick''", in ''Operas in English: A Dictionary'', p. 650. Greenwood Press. *Swed, Mark (15 January 1995)
"A Life Custom-Made for Opera"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. Retrieved 23 September 2012. *Ward, Charles (26 May 1989)
"''Where's Dick?'' loses track of its purpose"
''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. Retrieved 21 September 2012.

External links

Where's Dick? at www.stewartwallace.com
(audio samples and production photos)

at Schott Music (roles list and instrumentation) *Heymont, George (21 September 2010)
"Two Operas You'll ''Never'' See Performed at the Met!"
'' Huffington Post'' {{Authority control 1987 operas English-language operas Operas Operas by Stewart Wallace Operas set in the United States Operas set in the 20th century

References

Further reading

External links