The Metropolitan Opera, in collaboration with Elevator Repair Service, will present a marathon reading of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as Told to Alex Haley on the Grand Tier of the Metropolitan Opera. The reading will take place October 29 and run from 6AM to midnight.
The 18-hour reading comes just a few days ahead of the Met premiere of the opera X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X, by composer Anthony Davis and librettist Thulani Davis. Thulani Davis has curated the event, which will feature "an array of performers, writers, artists, scholars, students, and others" reading the civil rights leader's autobiography.
Tickets for the event are free, but must be reserved in advance at MetOpera.org. Audience members may come and go as they please through the duration of the reading, and limited seating will be available on a first-come first-served basis.
X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X had its world premiere in 1986 at New York City Opera. The Met premiere will open November 3 and run through December 2, starring baritone Will Liverman as Malcolm X. The production is directed by Robert O'Hara, and features scenic design by Clint Ramos, costume design by Dede Ayite, and lighting design by Alex Jainchill. Kazem Abdullah conducts.
For more information visit MetOpera.org.
