Antony & Cleopatra

Hamlet

Macbeth

Iago

CHEKHOV

Contact Mr. Tyburn

It has long been my dream to create opera works that would have popular appeal for Americans, thus I have created works from Shakespeare's plays that interested me the most and that I felt had the best opportunity to be good opera material.

It has always been a wonder to me that the greatest collection of literature in the world has no great opera successes based upon the works of Shakespeare. It is well documented that the Europeans have written many adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet, MacBeth, Antony & Cleopatra, and Othello. Thus we never hear for example: "to be or not to be" sung in Italian or in Othello, "Thus, I hate the moor and will him destroy" , or the description of the meeting of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, "The barge she came in was a wonder to behold".

These works seem to have a small modicum of success in Europe but these undisputed great works do not resonate with the American public over all. It is my opinion the fault lies in the fact that few of the composers created melodic arias for the main characters.

So the task as I see it has been left to me to adapt Shakespeare's works into rhyming couplets and find composers who are inspired by my librettos to write lyrical, bel canto versions that will have a mass appeal for the english speaking public. I have used the best of the english language to make the works seem Shakespearian in tone, but use words that can be easily understood by the public so there is immediate comprehension.

As of this date I have two works completed by a genius of opera composition, a Mr. Gerard Chiusano, and a whimsical composition of Iago by a marvelous composer, Mr. Flip Hayner. Newly added are several wonderful libretto adaptations from Chekhov now being perused for assignment.

I hope you enjoy the librettos and our attempt at exposing the English speaking public to the marvelous world of opera.

Yours