Dallas Opera, Dallas, TX
Jean-Dominique Bauby is the celebrated editor of ELLE magazine. Husband and father, he’s a major player on the Paris social scene. But his life shatters when a devastating stroke leaves him paralyzed and unable to speak—“locked in” like a diver at the bottom of the sea, who can only watch the world go by as he yearns for bygone pleasures.
“I’m still here!”
But Bauby’s spirit is indomitable, and he invents an alphabet by blinking one eye—“writing” his book with his assistant’s help. And though physically incapacitated, he still has a brilliant mind that can wander and fly like a butterfly, freeing him to travel through time and space where nothing is impossible!
Experience a remarkable operatic journey inspired by the real Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir—a European bestseller that inspired an award-winning film at Cannes.
This Dallas Opera world premiere is indebted to the members of the Bauby Family, who provided invaluable support and generously shared their insights and memories.
Production by Leonard Foglia
90 minutes in length with no intermission.