Watch the Manor of Speaking Playlist!

Last month, Manor of Speaking: Blythely Oratonio's Glam-Operetta Reenactment of Oscar Wilde's 1882 Tour Across the Barely United States (formerly titled Nothing Except My Genius) finally had its first public presentation of excerpts in New York City! Librettist Kevin Thomas Townley, Jr. and I finally got to make use of our 2022 OPERA American Female Composer Discovery Grant to gather a small invited audience at the incredible instutition of Players in Gramercy Park. We assembled the wonderful cast of Cree Carrico, Alexandra De Suze, Sean Patrick Doyle, Lucy Fitz Gibbon, Jessica Harika, James Jackson, Jr., Carrington Vilmont…and, of course, the one and only force of nature that is Stephanie Blythe for a few short days in various locations around Manhattan. Almost everyone traveled across state lines to perform this music, and one singer even slept on my couch to attend rehearsal. Drew Wutke, a longtime accomplice of Blythely Oratonio, was our intrepid conductor, and Adam Dorfman stepped in just a week ahead of time (show business is never short on surprises, folks) to play the score. The level of dedication and enthusiasm for this maiden voyage was off the charts.

Glancing back at our original grant application and former announcements about the proposed project, it’s astonishing how much has changed as we’ve researched and prepared this score. Discovery Grants are for discovering, after all. Here’s how we describe it now:

When disembarking from the SS Arizona in 1882, customs asked Oscar Wilde, hitherto unknown in America, whether he had anything to declare. “Nothing…except my genius,” he replied. Thus began a hilarious 12-month nationwide lecture tour. A personality first and poet later, his flair for self-promotion inspired ads, fashion and music, amassing friends and foes alike. His greatest triumph was in Leadville, Colorado, where he won over an audience of miners by lecturing on home décor. Our Manor of Speaking is a physical amalgam of Wilde’s lodging accommodations on tour and a holding space for his lecture about the decorative arts, which evolves as his image proliferates around the country. Opera legend Stephanie Blythe steps into his iconic patent leather pumps via her tenor drag alter ego, Blythely Oratonio, aided and abetted by an ensemble of singers playing multiple roles. Manor of Speaking works with Stephanie-as-Blythely-as-Wilde to obliterate binaries of class, gender, and musical taste. Influences include: Gilbert and Sullivan; the era’s popular songs; Irish folk song; and Wilde's glam rock heirs apparent, all mainstays of Blythely Oratonio’s setlists.

Thanks to videographer Adele Overbey and audio engineer Stephanie Beattie, we were able to capture the performance. Below is a playlist of highlights for your viewing pleasure (we hope). We’re not sure what the future holds for this work, but we’re going to keep at it, and I’ll be sure to be loud about next steps!