In the midst of finals, I missed the first of only two performances by Gotham Chamber Opera of a rarity in a unique & appropriate site-specific setting…

Cherry Blossoms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1941; Image from Brooklyn Public Library
La Hija de Rappaccini by the now late Mexican composer Daniel Catán was based on a play by Mexican Nobelist Octavio Paz in turn based on a story by American slut-shamer Nathaniel Hawthorne. A scientist keeps his daughter locked in a garden where she’s exposed to his poisonous plants and acquires their deadly touch herself.

La Hija de Rappaccini at Gotham Chamber Opera; Photo by Richard Termine
Gotham Chamber Opera‘s production is set outdoors, at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden; very cute no? There’s just one more performance next Monday, so here’s a review from Parterre.
Also, the first image comes from the cool new collaborative photo collection sharing site, Brooklyn Visual Heritage, which brings together archival image collections from the Brooklyn Library, Museum, and Historical Society. Hours of fun, and plenty of lovely pics too!