Brundibàr

A one act children’s opera for all the family
Music by Hans Kraša
Production Design by Maurice Sendak
Libretto translated by Tony Kushner

Director: Jonathan Eaton
Music Director: Stephen Neely

Click here to read the History of Brundibar

Presented in cooperation with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
A collaboration with Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, a Creative and Performing Arts Magnet
Featuring the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra

Venue: CAPA Theater, 111 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh

“FANTASTICAL!”—National Public Radio

“JOY! . . . gives audiences the feeling they’ve stepped into a Sendak story”—Contra Costa Times

“HEARTWARMING! for every member of the family”—KGO Radio

Maurice Sendak comes to Pittsburgh! See vintage Sendak characters come to life in this short, one act opera sung in English. The libretto is translated by Pulitizer Prize-winner Tony Kushner who wrote Angels in America.
This fabulously designed and fully-staged Sendak production of Krása’s charming work is about two children who are determined to get milk for their sick mother. With the help of townspeople and animal friends, they stand up to the town bully and prevail, proclaiming as they go that you need only “be brave and bullies will behave!” A must-see for all the family.
Written in 1938-39 by Czech composer Hans Krása, Brundibár represents a haunting part of Holocaust history. Performed by an all children’s cast, it is a classic tale of good overcoming evil that became an allegory of resistance during World War II as it was performed 55 times by children in the Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt. Located in Czechoslovakia, Theresienstadt was the camp where thousands of children and adults were sent before their fatal transport to Auschwitz. Brundibár addresses its origins by rising above them; it is a sweet and poignant work that will charm children and adults of all ages.
This production of Brundibár is part of the Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project
The scenery and costumes were originally created for the Chicago Opera Theater

“Milk and sleep, that’s what Mother
needs; how can we buy some, how
indeed?”
So begins the story of Pepicek and
Aninku, a brave brother and sister
whose quest to get milk for their
sick Mother pits them against the
wicked Brundibár. With the help
of the townspeople and animal
friends, the siblings learn that with
a fearless heart and the power of
friendship, “the wicked never win”.
A short, one-act opera with English
libretto translated by Pulitzer
Prize-winning Tony Kushner
(Angels in America), Brundibár
is set against the breathtaking
imagery of Maurice Sendak, author
and illustrator of Where the Wild
Things Are.