Irish National Opera presents: Trade / Mary Motorhead

Two searing one-act operas. 

Irish composer Emma O’Halloran has turned two of her uncle Mark O’Halloran’s plays into searing operas. 

Mary Motorhead: Mary Motorhead has been locked in a prison cell after stabbing her husband in the head with a 12-inch carving knife. While he lies in intensive care, Mary reflects on the events that have brought this turbulent rural marriage to such a crisis.

Trade: In a guesthouse in Dublin’s north inner city, a vulnerable and confused young rent boy sits with a middle-aged client. The older man has blood on his shirt. A lot has happened since the two last met.

Running time 1 hour and 45 minutes with one interval
Sung in English
Contains themes of an adult nature

"Rarely, if ever, does every element — score, text, singers, instrumentalists, conductor, director, sets, costumes, lighting, sound design — all come together. This is that rarity." — LA Times

"It’s 21st-century verismo, using psychological revelations instead of physical violence as dramatic catalysts." — The Wall Street Journal on Trade

"O’Halloran shapes lucid, communicative vocal lines; the text always sings out." — The New York Times