Nighttown is a bold new opera that reimagines the “Circe” chapter of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Seen through the perspective of Molly Bloom, the work unfolds as a night of drifting thoughts, memories and vivid imaginings. While her partner sleeps beside her, Molly moves through an inner world where desire, confrontation, humour and loss collide. The result is a contemporary odyssey that reflects how people today still search for a sense of home.
The Dutch National Opera Academy (DNOA) presents this striking production in collaboration with student ensembles from the Royal Conservatoire and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. DNOA is a two-year master’s programme for young opera singers, focusing on the integration of singing and acting, with space for artistic development and stage experience.
Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg, conductor
Aimee Kearney / Madeline Lee, soprano/mezzo soprano – Molly Bloom (Penelope)
Mathilde Guedj / Clarisse Planchais – The Nymph
Román Bordón / Jaap van der Wel – Leopold Bloom (Odysseus)
Salvador Simão – Stephen Dedalus (Telemachus)
Milan de Korte – Bell* Cohen (tenor)
Cathal McCabe – Buck Mulligan
Pavel Zelenev – Mentes / Blazes Boylan
Kasia Mandla – Calypso / ghost of Stephen’s mother
Maura Wesseling – Nausicaa
Robert Chevara, director & design
Mattijs van Bergen, costume design
Bugra Yüzügüldü, assistant conductor