Schoenberg in Hollywood

About

Boston Lyric Opera’s world premiere of Schoenberg in Hollywood uses a highly stylized multimedia approach to explore the composer’s life and artistic struggles. Directed by Karole Armitage, the production frames Schoenberg’s milestones through classic Hollywood genres like film noir, Westerns, and musical comedy. Minimal yet evocative props—director’s chair, camera, grand piano—shape a “theater of the mind.” Peter Torpey’s media and projection design drives the visual identity, fluidly moving through eras and emotional states. Tod Machover’s score, played by a chamber ensemble behind the set, blends acoustic instruments with electronic textures to probe Schoenberg’s psyche. The run included post-show talkbacks and carried content advisories for brief graphic Holocaust imagery, Nazi references, suicide, and a recorded gunshot.