The Shining

Dad Hasn’t Been Himself Lately or Literally.

Deep in the shadows of the Colorado Rockies and miles from where anyone can hear you scream; the Overlook Hotel awaits. For its new caretakers, the Torrance family, the only thing more unnerving than their profound seclusion and solitude is the realization that they are not the hotel’s only guests. While the young son with a sixth sense endures this house of horrors, his father faces demons – past and present, real and remembered – that ultimately turn him into a monster. What started as a desperate search for financial (and marital) sanctuary now spirals and sinks into a terrifying struggle for sanity and survival. Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel and with music as haunting as the story is horrifying, only through opera does The Shining discover more frightening and fulfilling depths than ever before.

Saturday, March 11, 2023 | 7:30 pm
Friday, March 17, 2023 | 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 19, 2023 | 2:00 pm

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MUSIC Paul Moravec

LIBRETTO Mark Campbell

CONDUCTOR Gerard Schwarz

DIRECTOR Eric Simonson

Based on the novel by Stephen King

Published and presented with the permission of Subito Music Corporation

Understand every word: Performed in English with English subtitles.

The Shining contains content that may be disturbing to some audiences. Read the full content advisory here.

Read In-depth guide by Stu Lewis

Principal Cast

Jack Torrance, Edward Parks
Grammy Award winning baritone Edward Parks’ projects for the 2022-2023 season include Jack Torrance (The Shining) with Opera Parallèle, Marcello in Yuval Sharon’s contemporary staging of La bohème with Boston Lyric Opera, and a presentation of Peter Knell’s new opera Arkhipov, centered around the Cuban Missile Crisis. Recent highlights include a national tour with Andrea Bocelli, Steve Jobs in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with Santa Fe Opera, Escamillo in Carmen with the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, and Valentin in Faust with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Parks trained at The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Wendy Torrance, Kelly Kaduce
Soprano Kelly Kaduce returns to Lyric Opera of Kansas City for the role of Wendy Torrance in The Shining. Kaduce reprises the role of Wendy Torrance (The Shining) after her 2022 performance with Opera Colorado. Among Kaduce’s career highlights are several world premieres, including Rosasharn in Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath with Minnesota Opera, Carlson’s Anna Karenina with Florida Grand Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Caroline in Danielpour’s Margaret Garner with Michigan Opera Theatre, the Chinese Actress and Zi Zhen in Sheng’s Madame Mao with Santa Fe Opera, and two roles in the Central Park trilogy with The Glimmerglass Festival.

Dick Halloran, Aubrey Allicock
Baritone Aubrey Allicock’s notable performances include The Death of Klinghoffer (The Metropolitan Opera), Champion (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Washington National Opera, Dutch National Opera, Opéra de Montréal), Migrations (Welsh National Opera), Doctor Atomic (BBC), Rinaldo (Glyndebourne), Radamisto (Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra) El Niño (The Concertgebouw), Das Rheingold (Virginia Opera), The Marriage of Figaro (Seattle Opera), and We Shall Not Be Moved (Opera Philadelphia). Upcoming engagements include The Pirates of Penzance with Virginia Opera, recording of We Shall Not Be Moved as John Henry, and a debut with Santa Fe Opera in 2024.

Lloyd the Bartender, Roger Honeywell
Tenor Roger Honeywell makes his Lyric Opera of Kansas City debut as Lloyd the Bartender in The Shining. Notable performances include Captain Vere (Billy Budd) at Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, the title role in Peter Grimes with Des Moines Metro Opera, Shuisky (Boris Godonov) at the Royal Opera House, Cavaradossi (Tosca) with Florida Grand Opera, Don José (Carmen) with Fort Worth Opera, Aegisthus (Elektra) with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Captain Nolan (Doctor Atomic) with The Metropolitan Opera, Leukippos (Daphne) with Opéra National Capitole Toulouse, and Loge (Das Rheingold) with Opéra de Montréal. Recent highlights include Glenn Gould (Gould’s Wall) with Tapestry Opera, and Larry in the world premiere of A Thousand Acres with Des Moines Metro Opera.

Mark Torrance, Malcolm Mackenzie
Baritone Malcolm MacKenzie has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Savonlinna Opera Festival, Washington National Opera, LA Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera. Notable roles include the title role in Simon Boccanegra and Don Giovanni, Iago (Otello), Tonio (I Pagliacci), Baron Scarpia (Tosca), Count di Luna (Il trovatore), Count Renato (A Masked Ball), Jack Rance (The Girl of the Golden West), Marcello (La bohème), Germont (La traviata), and Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro).

Creative Team

Conductor, Gerard Schwarz
American conductor Gerard Schwarz serves as Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony, and Mozart Orchestra of New York. Schwarz is Conductor Laureate of Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival, Distinguished Professor of Music; Conducting and Orchestral Studies of the Frost School of Music, and Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra. He has led productions with Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Juilliard Opera, and Mariinsky Opera. He has received hundreds of honors and accolades including eight Emmy Awards, 14 GRAMMY nominations, eight ASCAP Founders Awards, and the Ditson Conductor’s Award.

Director, Eric Simonson
Eric Simonson returns to Lyric Opera of Kansas City after recently directing world premieres of Silent Night (Lyric Opera of Kansas City), Rusalka (Portland Opera), Bok Choy Variations (Minnesota Opera), Edward Tulane, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Fix. Theater writing and directing credits include Lindiwe, Fake, Honest, Carter’s Way, Slaughterhouse-Five, Nomathemba, and The Song of Jacob Zulu (Tony nomination) at Steppenwolf Theatre. Playwrighting credits include Broadway productions of Lombardi, Bronx Bombers, and Magic/Bird. Writing and directing credits for film and TV include A Note of Triumph (Academy Award), On Tiptoe (Academy Award nomination), Studs Terkel: Listening to America (Emmy nomination), Hamlet, Topa Top Bluffs, Homecoming (WGA nomination), Man in the High Castle, Swagger, and Killing Reagan (National Society of Film Critics nomination).