Jump

Nora York returns to continue her long--running and popular program, Love Crazy, for ARTonAIR.org with a show of her music project, Jump. The project began as a concert in 2006 – became a theater piece produced by the Public Theater in New York City – and was produced for Under the Radar 2011.

Stemming from an affection for the lush and emotionally expansive aspects of grand opera and a fascination with the psychological and social phenomena of the Diva, Jump was first conceived by Nora York as a musical response to Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca. York’s songs are interwoven with Puccini’s arias, a reworking of scenes from Victorien Sardou’s La Tosca (on which the opera was based) and writings by and about Sarah Bernhardt – who performed the role of Floria Tosca for twenty-five years – and for whom the play was written. The team was David Greenspan (book) JoAnne Akalaitis (director) and Jamie Lawrence (music director)

Accompanied by a chamber group featuring keyboards, cello, and woodwinds, York is joined by two opera singers and four actors taking on the roles of Bernhardt and the principal characters from the Tosca story. Jump is a passionate exploration of the making of art and the life that inspires it.

The production featured scenic design by artist Kiki Smith, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton and costume design by Kay Voyce.

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