| SKU | 4780 |
|---|---|
| Composer/Arranger | Larsen, Libby |
| Text Author | L'Engle, Madeleine |
| Voicing & Instruments | Opera in One Act |
| Rental Dept | Full score and parts available for rental. Click here to request a quote or order. |
| Popular Opera Searches | Most Performed, Children's Opera (performed by Children), Duration: 30-60 min, Duration: 60-90 min, Female Composer, One Act/Chamber Opera |
| Duration | 60' |
| Reviews | A Wrinkle in Time is an opera for children, with less daunting challenges that Larsen solved with ease. The music is fluent, evocative, sometimes quite witty and notable for its use of sounds that are at once weird and appropriate for the story... It sometimes called "Star Trek" to mind and sometimes "The Magic Flute," which it resembles because it is about a quest, because it inculcates moral values and particularly because it features three eccentric women... who guide the main character to a cosmic encounter and final victory... A Wrinkle in Time is not only about an interplanetary search and struggle between good and evil; it is, most powerfully, about adolescence, particularly the agonies of awkward feminine adolescence. |
| Premier | March 1992, Opera Delaware |
| Notable & Recent Performances | Opera Delaware SUNY Potsdam: Crane School of Music Opera Theater of Northern Virginia |
| Publisher | E. C. Schirmer Music Company |
Libretto:
Written by Libby Larson based on the book by Madeleine L'Engle
Synopsis:
Opera in 1 Act (7 Scenes). An atomic physicist (Dr. Murry) disappears on a secret mission. His 12-year-old daughter (Meg), her 5-year-old brother (Charles Wallace), and teen-aged friend (Calvin) set out on a bizarre search for him. The whimsical characters Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which lead the children on an inter-planetary journey which they manage by "tessering," or wrinkling, to span time and space. They reach the planet Camzotz where Dr. Murry is imprisoned and confront the horrible, over-sized brain ("It") that hypnotizes people into having one mind. After Meg frees Dr. Murry, Charles Wallace succumbs to the power of "It," leaving Meg to also save her brother. Relying on her own strength and courage, as well as her profound love for Charles Wallace, Meg breaks the evil spell and proves that love is the most powerful force in the universe.
| Roles: | |
| MEG | Soprano |
| CHARLES WALLACE | Boy Soprano |
| CALVIN | Baritone |
| MRS. WHATSIT | Soprano |
| MRS. WHO | Mezzo-Soprano |
| MRS. WHICH | Soprano or Tenor |
| M. JENKINS/MAN with RED EYES | Bass |
| MRS. MURRY/HAPPY MEDIUM/AUNT BEAST | Soprano |
| FORTINBRAS, the family dog | Acting Role |
| CHORUS (Uriel/The Dark Thing/It/People of Camazotz) |
