The Passenger

The Passenger

Lyric Opera
20 N. Wacker Drive Chicago

Suppressed for more than 40 years, this gripping opera from Mieczyslaw Weinberg has emerged once again -- and has already electrified audiences in Austria, Warsaw and London. Now the Civic Opera House will play home to the story of Walter and Liese, a West German diplomat and his wife, who are currently bound for a new posting in Brazil circa the 1960s. Unbeknownst to Walter, Liese is traveling with some extra baggage: the secret that she once served as an SS officer in Auschwitz. But the private haunting of her hidden past may soon become public knowledge -- as Liese becomes convinced that she recognizes a fellow passenger as her former prisoner. Guilt, denial, fear, courage, truth, lies and love all buoy this unforgettable emotional experience, which moves seamlessly between two narrative realms: the pristine deck of the luxury liner and the shadowy horrors of the death camp below.

Thru - Mar 15, 2015