An OKC theater goes behind the music of a beloved composer with world premiere 'Concerto'

Almost a century and a half after Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky penned his one and only violin concerto during a getaway in the Swiss Alps, an Oklahoma City theater is going "Behind the Music" to tell the backstory of the celebrated Russian composer's enduring masterwork.

"After (working on) this play, I feel like I know Tchaikovsky a little more, and I can appreciate what his music is," said Michael Baron, producing artistic director for Lyric Theatre.

"'Amadeus' did the same thing for Mozart. When 'Amadeus' came out as a play and then the movie, all of the sudden I think a wider mass audience was like, 'Oh, I now have more context with what's being performed all over the world all the time. I'm not just listening to pretty music.'"

After its three-show summer run at Civic Center Music Hall, Lyric is returning to its Plaza District home this fall to stage the world premiere of Alan Olejniczak's fact-based musical drama "Concerto." Lyric begins previews of the new show Sept. 13, with opening night set for Sept. 16. Performances continue through Oct. 1 in the Plaza Theatre.

"You're getting real human stories behind who Tchaikovsky was," said Baron, who is directing "Concerto." "If you're like, 'Oh yeah, that's the guy that wrote "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake,"' well, of course, that's not who he was. Those are the works he did — and knowing who he was, how he created these pieces, who was funding those pieces, is beyond fascinating."

OKC theater continues New Works Initiative with world premiere of 'Concerto'

"Concerto" is the 10th show in Lyric's ongoing New Works Initiative, which the nonprofit professional theater launched in 2014 with "Triangle." Lyric has produced one world-premiere work a year since, with previous titles including "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" (2015), "Mann ... And Wife" (2016), Disney's "When You Wish" (2017), "When We're Gone" (2018), "Girlfriend" (2019), "Lyric Kids' Clubhouse" (2020), "Denise Lee: Pressure Makes Diamonds" (2021) and "Distant Thunder" (2022).

"Where new works come into play ... is it gets new voices into the canon. Then, the director of 'Jersey Boys,' for instance, that was not his first show; that was part of his artistic journey. So, we're encouraging the art of playwriting," said Baron, referring to the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons jukebox musical Lyric plans to stage in 2024.

'Concerto' writer has penned plays in the Arctic Circle and Volcano National Park 

Baron said he became interested in producing Olejniczak's "Concerto" after meeting the playwright at the William Inge Theater Festival in Kansas.

"I was invited to go there as basically a juror for playwrights to do small sections of their work, and Alan did a small section of a play called 'Val-Kill,' which is the house that the Roosevelts lived in in upstate New York. ... His love of writing about historical figures, but making them relevant to today is amazing," Baron said.

"He's traveled the world as a playwright; he's written plays in the Arctic Circle. He was the resident playwright at Hawaii's Volcano National Park. He's just extremely interesting."

Olejniczak completed the first draft of "Concerto" in 2016. After a workshop and staged reading in Oklahoma City in 2021, he updated the script, adding more scenes to elevate the drama.

“I hope audiences enjoy their evening and leave knowing a bit more about how great art is created,” Olejniczak said in an email. “I want our audiences to be inspired enough to want to attend more theater and more live music.”

Lyric Theatre receives NEA grant to help make world-premiere production possible

Lyric Theatre received a $10,000 project grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help make its world-premiere production of "Concerto" possible.

"To get an NEA grant for this was an honor, because it felt this was a project worthy to be talked about on the national stage, like 'How can theaters and orchestras work together to bring people back to the theater and also tell them stories?'" Baron said.

As part of its 60th anniversary season, Lyric Theatre is producing the "inspired by a true story" drama in collaboration with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate, who is working as the music supervisor on "Concerto."

"Michael Baron approached me and said, 'Hey, we're doing this beautiful theater piece ... all about the creation of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto.' And he asked me, 'Why don't you program the violin concerto in the beginning of your season?'" Mickelthwate told The Oklahoman. "So, the whole thing is really cool ... and now I'm in rehearsals with them."

In harmony with Lyric's "Concerto," the OKC Philharmonic was to open its 2023-2024 Classics concert season by not only performing Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35" but also the acclaimed composer's "Symphony No. 6" Sept. 9 at the Civic Center. 

What's the story behind 'Concerto' and who is starring in the world-premiere production?

"Concerto" will take audiences behind the scenes as Tchaikovsky works on his "Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35," the only violin concerto he composed.

After the failure of his marriage to Antonina Miliukova, a depressed Tchaikovsky escaped to the mountains of Clarens, Switzerland, on picturesque Lake Geneva. The trip was funded by his new patroness, Nadezhda von Meck. A visit from one of his former students, violinist Iosif Kotek, inspired the composer to write his violin concerto in 1878.

The work was initially polarizing and had some vocal detractors. Once it finally premiered in 1881, prominent critic Eduard Hanslick infamously wrote that the concerto "gives us for the first time the hideous notion that there can be music that stinks to the ear.” But it's now regarded as a masterpiece and has become one of the most beloved violin concertos in music history.

The world-premiere production of "Concerto" will feature three Oklahoma actors: Lyric mainstay Matthew Alvin Brown will star as Tchaikovsky.

Another Lyric favorite, Sheridan McMichael will portray Kotek. Kris Schinske, who has worked frequently with Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, Jewish Theatre of Oklahoma and Guthrie's Pollard Theatre, will make her Lyric debut as von Meck.

"In the first week of rehearsal, we were at the table, and we never stood up for a whole week, just going page by page, line by line, and making sure it was clear," Baron said. "The playwright, he's actually been here the entire time. It's been great to see the cast suggest things and the playwright take those suggestions, along with us working with the musicians and Alexander to shape the musical score for the piece."

The musicians who will perform onstage include Joao Pedro Pena Dutra on piano and Samuel Gilles on violin.

"For classical music lovers, there's all kinds of Easter eggs in this show. ... But this should be interesting if you know nothing about Tchaikovsky, classical music or Russia. It should just be good drama," Baron said.

'CONCERTO' WORLD PREMIERE

• When: Sept. 13-Oct. 1.

• Where: Plaza Theatre, 1725 NW 16.

• Tickets and information: https://lyrictheatreokc.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: World-premiere drama 'Concerto' takes OKC theatergoers behind the music