The Nose

Chicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and reimagined opera, continues its 50^th Anniversary season with the Chicago Premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich’s absurdist Russian masterpiece The Nose at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E Randolph St., in two performances only: Friday, December 8 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, December 10 at 3:00 PM. The brand-new production, led by legendary director Francesca Zambello, will be conducted by COT’s own Elizabeth Morse and Genius Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya in her final performances conducting as COT’s Music Director before stepping down at the end of this season. The comedic opera stars Ukrainian-American baritone Aleksey Bogdanov as Kovalyav and Chicago favorite Curtis Bannister as The Nose alongside a massive cast that includes over thirty local and national singers. Fellow Harris Theater resident company South Chicago Dance Theatre will also be featured in the production performing original choreography by SCDT founder and Executive Artistic Director Kia Smith.

Based on a short story by Nikolai Gogol with a libretto written by Shostakovich, Georgy Ionin, Alexander Preis, and Yevgeny Zamyatin, The Nose follows a Russian bureaucrat named Kovalyov who wakes up one morning to discover his nose has not only taken on a life of its own but is a high-ranking government official. Kovalyov chases his nose around the streets of St. Petersburg in a hilarious series of events, encountering many quirky characters along the way. The opera features a comical anti-authoritarian plot and an electrifying avant-garde score that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Tickets, priced at $45.00 – $135.00, are now available at chicagooperatheater.org. Discounts are available for students, groups, and subscribers.