For nearly three decades, opera director Richard Ward has integrated classic stage performances with modern sentimentalities. His interpretation of the Barber of Seville re-imagined Count Almaviva as holding a portable stereo outside Rosina's window, a reference to John Cusack's character in the movie Say Anything, which appeared movie theatres just prior to the opera's opening. Ward's bold playfulness has created a loyal fanbase that spans both generations and social classes. Many important cultural players have heralded the director as making opera a viable and accessible storytelling medium in popular culture. In a magazine interview, recent Oscar winner and teenage heartthrob Scott McLean revealed that his "transition from blockbuster movies to opera is all thanks to Ward's work". But Ward, now deep in his 70s, plans to retire at the end of his next opera, The Bill of Marriage, another Rossini story.
But by no means is this the end of the Ward legacy. Richard Ward will be succeeded by his son, Jeremy Ward, who has experience writing short stories and sometimes adapting them into films. Although Jeremy may not share his father's interest in popular culture and modern trends, loyal fans and audiences can still expect novel twists on their favorite opera stories. In Jeremy's short films and stories, for example, he has been known to create unexpected situations. He has rewritten William Golding's The Lord of the Flies so that it took place within an aristocratic family.
Richard Ward's final piece, The Bill of Marriage, is due to open at the Metropolitan Opera on Saturday, January 15th. His son's directorial debut can be expected at the beginning of March.
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