Elmer Gantry

Based on the satire by American novelist Sinclair Lewis (which was also the basis for an Academy Award-winning film starring Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons), Elmer Gantry mixes traditional operatic forms with vibrant gospel hymns and ensemble to explore the complex and sometimes conflicted role of religion in American life. This quintessentially American story of love and corruption follows a fraudulent womanizer through both his rise to power and fall from grace in early 20th century rural America.

Sung in English with English translations

Learn more about this exciting new American opera - a Midwest Premiere - at a special website featuring music clips, a production blog and behind-the-scene information from the opera's creators!

• Synopsis
• Cast & Artist biographies
• Performance and Parking Information
• For the Eye and the Ear: Novel American Operas
  A survey of available recordings of other American operas inspired by novels by Corliss Phillabaum
• Video preview
  Enjoy a short sneak peek of what's in store!