“When Anthony Davis’s sprawling, genre-blending biographical opera ‘X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X’ premiered in 1986 at New York City Opera, it drew a notably diverse audience and was considered a commercial success,” writes Joshua Barone in Tuesday’s (3/23) New York Times. “Yet it has rarely been revived. A new production is coming, though, as part of Michigan Opera Theater’s 2021-22 season—the first under its new artistic director, Yuval Sharon. Opening in May 2022, ‘X’ will be directed by Robert O’Hara (‘Slave Play’) and star the bass-baritone Davóne Tines…. ‘My first interview for this job was shortly after the murder of George Floyd,’ said Sharon. ‘I thought: This is a moment for change.’ … Michigan Opera Theater also said that [soprano] Christine Goerke … would join next season as associate artistic director…. All of the productions next season come with backup plans, as the course of the coronavirus pandemic … is still uncertain…. Until [April 2022], productions will be staged outdoors, or at unconventional venues.” Also planned in 2021-22 are Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s opera Blue; Ragnar Kjartansson’s Bliss; Robert Xavier Rodríguez and Migdalia Cruz’s Frida; and a new production by Sharon of La Bohème.
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