What do 17th century Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi and 20th century writer and civil rights activist W.E.B.
Du Bois have in common? Aspects of their work have been juxtaposed in a new opera, “The Comet / Poppea,” directed by Yuval Sharon and presented this weekend by his avant-garde company, the Industry , at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. This marks the first production the MacArthur fellow has directed for the Industry since the critically acclaimed “Sweet Land,” which was prematurely shuttered in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sharon is known for his disruptive approach to the art form, and “The Comet / Poppea” — with a rotating stage that immerses audiences in two disparate worlds with a shared purpose — promises to be no different.
“My projects for the Industry have been about trying to chart a kind of evolution from piece to piece,” explained Sharon over the phone after the first day of rehearsals in New York City. “Not in a linear way or a straightforward way.” Sharon’s ideas often begin with a critique of opera itself.
He and his collaborators approach each work by trying to discover how to redefine, deconstruct and demystify what has long been considered an elitist art form for a largely white majority. What better way to do that than by taking on one of the genre’s most formative pieces? Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea” was first performed in Venice in 1643. Opera had just emerged as a distinct art for.