She broke the mold. She burned the script. She dared to live and live hard.
Hardly any woman of the 20th century defined “fierce” like Frida Kahlo. And hardly any work captures the spirit of Frida as completely as this opera’s intricate and proud portrait of the iconic Mexican artist’s life.
A sensation in MOT’s 2014-2015 season, the Detroit production of Frida is considered one of the most powerful presentations of this authentic, inspiring opera. Frida returns with the original cast including Catalina Cuervo as Frida and Ricardo Herrera as Diego Rivera, and performed at Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, the original home for MOT.
Synopsis: Try to put Frida in a box: she’ll break it. Force her into a mold? She’ll smash it. Pressure her to endure hardship, pain, injury, hospitals, capitalism—she’ll burn them as fuel for painting after painting of beautiful, provocative art. And don’t even bother telling her who she can love.
Hardly any woman of the 20th century defined “fierce” like Frida Kahlo. And hardly any work captures the spirit of Frida as completely as this opera’s intricate and proud portrait of the iconic Mexican artist.
The story starts with her school-girl days and traces the dramatic series of events that led to her decision to live as a painter and marry fellow artist Diego Rivera. The couples’ tempestuous relationship unfolds in all its shadows and light as they travel to America, unsuccessfully mix with the titans of industry, and bear the grief of a miscarriage far from home. Frida dives into her art, creating a body of work that tells the story of her body, her soul, and her mind. She dares the world to witness her dangerous vulnerability and intimidating vitality — even to her final, glorious moments.
A sensation in MOT’s 2014-2015 season, Frida returns with the original cast, including Catalina Cuervo as Frida and Ricardo Herrera as Diego Rivera. Robert Xavier Rodríguez’s score, written for chamber orchestra, mixes mariachi-style orchestrations, classical opera, and hints of Mexican folk songs for an authentic, alluring musical reflection of the woman and her art. Performed at Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, MOT’s first home, this production honors a return to our roots.
Full of life, full of death, full of wonder, full of pain: Frida is an operatic ride of the most satisfying sort—a cyclorama of a woman who fulfills her most passionate desire to stay true to herself.
Featuring Baritone, Jesús Vicente Murillo, as Guillermo Kahlo, Petate Vendor, and Cachucha.
Tickets and Information can be found here.
