Opera Philadelphia Premieres Complications In Sue With Star Cast

Opera Philadelphia has once again thrown open its doors to innovation, launching the world premiere of Complications in Sue at the city’s historic Academy of Music on February 4, 2026. This new commission—an audacious, kaleidoscopic work—marks not just the beginning of a four-night run but a bold statement about the future direction of opera in the United States. With Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson at the helm as librettist, and a creative team that reads like a who’s who of contemporary music and performance, the production is already drawing attention for its ambition, wit, and willingness to push boundaries.

From the very first moments, Complications in Sue signals that this isn’t your grandmother’s opera. The opening scene is pure gothic whimsy: four solemn figures push a vintage black baby carriage across the stage, shadows stretching behind them. The vocalists intone a world “full of wonder, a world that’s full of woe,” setting an Edward Gorey–esque mood, as reported by Vogue. Death, in an unexpected twist, serves as a member of the welcome committee for the opera’s central character, Sue. But the somber air is quickly pierced when cabaret icon Justin Vivian Bond, dazzling in an iridescent feathered sheath and matching headpiece by designer Jonathan Anderson, bursts through the audience with a cheerful, “Hi! It’s my birthday!”

Bond’s entrance not only establishes Sue as a star in her own right but also signals the opera’s playful, genre-bending spirit. The production’s creative team is stacked with talent: Bond stars as Sue, with Kiera Duffy, Rehanna Thelwell, Nicky Spence, and Nicholas Newton taking on a variety of roles across the epic, century-spanning story. Caren Levine, praised by co-director Zack Winokur for her “perfect pitch” and “photographic memory,” conducts the ensemble, holding together what could easily become a sprawling musical experiment.

Michael R. Jackson, best known for his groundbreaking musical A Strange Loop, has crafted a libretto that traces Sue’s life over ten decades, with each decade set to music by a different composer. The composer roster includes Grammy nominee Missy Mazzoli, jazz artist Cécile McLorin Salvant, the prolific Nico Muhly (who composed the final section), Andy Akiho, Alistair Coleman, Nathalie Joachim, Rene Orth, Kamala Sankaram, Dan Schlosberg, and Errollyn Wallen. Each brings a unique voice, resulting in what Jackson calls “a kind of musical buffet.”

“It’s like one of those movies from the ’70s that has every star in it,” Bond quipped to Vogue, summing up the eclectic energy of the project. The opera’s composite structure—a patchwork of musical styles and perspectives—emerged partly from necessity. With only a year to prepare after Anthony Roth Costanzo took over as Opera Philadelphia’s general director and president in June 2024, there simply wasn’t time for a single composer to tackle a full-length work. Instead, each composer received a one-sentence-per-scene synopsis and was left to imagine their segment in isolation. “It was like playing a version of the Surrealist parlor game Exquisite Corpse,” said Nico Muhly, admitting that, despite the rules, “a lot of us were calling each other, being like, ‘Girl, what are you doing?’”

The result is a tapestry of musical idioms, moods, and surprises. Santa Claus, for example, appears onstage with a kitschy midcentury silver tree, only to undergo a depressive meltdown. College classmates spread rumors about Sue’s rhinoplasty as she picnics in a Brideshead Revisited–inspired trench coat. In a particularly memorable scene, Sue’s imagination becomes a TV newsroom, and later she dons a spiral-print caftan emblazoned with the word “doom”—a wink to the digital malaise of our times. By the time Sue arrives in a retirement community, her neighbor sings plaintively, “Nothing will soothe my soul…but to click and to scroll.”

Jackson’s libretto is packed with lines that straddle the line between humor and social commentary. A retiree’s aria, “Free speech is $7 a month, and I pay it to the richest man in the world,” drew uneasy laughter from the audience. “I write in that place of ambivalence and ambiguity,” Jackson explained. “To me, what’s thrilling is that the music of opera can really put a shiny box around certain ideas that might, in another medium, go in one ear and out the other.”

For the cast and creative team, the opera’s patchwork approach was both a challenge and a delight. Muhly praised Jackson’s text, saying, “The rhythm of the text was incredibly generous—I didn’t change anything.” Levine, the conductor, was described by Winokur as a “spitfire” who brings energy and cohesion to the stage—qualities much needed in a work that swings between genres and decades with abandon.

The visual design is no less striking. Sets by Krit Robinson, lighting by Yuki Link, sound by Chris Sannino, and hair and makeup by Amanda Miller create a world that’s both whimsical and haunting. Costumes by Victoria Bek and, for Bond, a suite by JW Anderson (aka Jonathan Anderson), add further layers of spectacle and character. Anderson, fresh off his debut couture collection for Dior, designed Bond’s costumes as a loving tribute to their college friendship, infusing Sue’s journey with visual flair.

But beyond the dazzling surface, Complications in Sue is making waves for what it represents in the world of American opera. This is the first of two world premieres in Opera Philadelphia’s 2025-26 season, the first curated by Costanzo, whose contract has been extended through the 2028-29 season. The company is doubling down on new and contemporary works and continuing its “Pick Your Price” initiative, allowing all tickets to be purchased for as little as $11, or a higher price if patrons wish—an effort to make opera accessible to a broader audience.

Bond, reflecting on the evolution of opera, emphasized the importance of contemporary works that speak to today’s world. “I do think that opera was created as a popular art,” Bond said, recalling the impact of seeing Nixon in China as a young artist. Jackson, too, drew inspiration from operas like Jackie O, which blended humor and modern musical idioms. The hope is that Complications in Sue will pave the way for more works that bring together emerging and established composers, telling stories that resonate with audiences now.

As the curtain falls on its world premiere run through February 8, Complications in Sue stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, risk-taking, and the enduring appeal of opera as a living, breathing art form. For those lucky enough to witness it, Sue’s century-long journey is a reminder that, in opera as in life, complications are what make the story worth telling.