Mason Bates’ Met-bound opera ‘Kavalier & Clay’ based on Michael Chabon novel premieres in Indiana

Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (AP) — When composer Mason Bates approached Michael Chabon about turning his novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” into an opera, he said the writer told him frankly that “opera was not his thing.” Chabon did give his blessing for the adaptation, which premieres Friday in Bloomington, Indiana, and will later be staged at the Metropolitan Opera. Bloomington turns out to be not such a surprising choice given that the school has nearly 300 voice students and the Musical Arts Center was modeled after the Met stage. ‘Kavalier & Clay’ focuses on the book’s main characters for a story about two young Jewish cousins set over more than a decade before and after World War II.