Adrian Dunn and HoperaWorld are presenting Hopera: A Fallen Hero in November.A twist on Shakespeare's Othello, Dunn composed the music and book as well as creating HoperaWorld. Nunn spoke to Dunn one on one.
Windy City Times: Hello, Adrian. Tell our readers why they should see your show.
Adrian Dunn: They should see it because it is the best new thing happening. It's a hip-hop opera. The show is about a young African American kid growing up in Chicago. He's trying to manage the terrain of dealing with an unsupportive mom and teacher. He does have a mentor that comes and help him along to reach his full potential. He deals with the loss of his best friend who is killed. The story is loosely based off of Othello. At the beginning of the show Obadiah kills himself and we rewind to how it all came to be.
WCT: The show is a mix of hip-hop and opera?
AD: In terms of the composition it is hip-hop. We have seven classically trained vocalists. The lead is an operatic vocalist. You are going to get some good singin'.
WCT: There is a DJ, also?
AD: Yes. [ There are ] a live band and a small string orchestra as well.
WCT: You composed the music?
AD: I composed the entire piece and score to A Fallen Hero. I also worked on the libretto with a co-writer who worked on the main rap character, whose name is Zion, for his lyrics.
WCT: What is your background?
AD: I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio. I came up through the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. I went to college at Roosevelt University in Chicago. I completed my degree at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. I came back to Chicago and started my company, HoperaWorld.
WCT: So you have experiences to bring from all over.
AD: I think my experiences in Finland helped me to see not only how hip-hop is here in the states but what it looks like from the other shores—how people view hip-hop and African-American culture, and its influences on our world.
WCT: Have you seen the movie O [ a 2001 drama with Josh Hartnett and Mekhi Phifer that's a loose adaptation of Othello ] ?
AD: Yes, I have. I loved that movie. It was a lot of my initial inspiration but, as you know, as artists you can start off one way and end up somewhere else. Verdi is one of my favorite composers and I studied Othello in college. The connection between William Shakespeare and the actual operatic text was so similar.
Going back to the O movie, the "Ave Maria" aria used at the end was even more of an inspiration. So many stories of young Black men are glamorized so I hope this show will allow people to see the inner psyche of them in the 21st century. Obadiah King is like any Asian, white or Black kid. We basically see our connection through human experience. We all experience oppression and violence to some degree. I am using Obadiah to universally show how we are as people.
WCT: As gay people we feel oppression also, so there are things for us to identify in the show as well then.
AD: Absolutely. There are gay cast members in the show. I am gay. It is a big thing in dealing with the minority community as an artist period. I want to show people that all of our oppression is the same. This piece is about social consciousness. There is one gay character in the show. His name is Mr. Johnson. He is the mentor that helps Obadiah that I spoke of earlier. I think gay folks will really appreciate what we do with this opera because it is basically a musical.
WCT: What is planned for the future of this company?
AD: My goal is to get this show to Broadway. I mean a Broadway budget —not necessarily on Broadway, but that would be awesome, too. We are currently recording the album right now. Our DVD will be on sale at the show this November.
Hopera: A Fallen Hero runs at the Dusable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place, Nov 12-14, at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. Visit www.dusablemuseum.org or www.hoperaworld.com for more information.
Also, see the Spotlight for more about Hopera.
