Right hook, left hook, and then… hit ’em with that gorgeous baritone?
Sports and opera don’t usually mix, but they find some common ground in the dramatic story of closeted bisexual boxer Emile Griffith, whose career in the ring changed forever after one fateful night in 1962.
The athlete’s life and legacy now find an unexpected home on New York City’s famed Metropolitan Opera Stage, where composer Terence Blanchard (an acclaimed trumpeter known for scoring Spike Lee films BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods) brings a highly anticipated production of his opera, Champion.
Born in the Virgin Islands, Griffith moved to New York as a teen to find his birth mother, and eventually took up work for a hat manufacturer. On a particularly hot day, Griffith worked with his shirt off, which is when—believe it or not—the factory owner noticed his hulking physique and decided to take him to a trainer at a boxing gym!
The opera’s first act details his rise to future welterweight champion, but it ends on—spoiler alert, we suppose, though this is very much a real story—his 1962 match against Benny Paret at Madison Square Garden, where Griffith beat his opponent so intensely that he was completely unconscious. 10 days later, Paret died from the injuries sustained.
(It was later revealed that, during the pre-match weigh in, Paret had been taunting Griffith with homophobic slurs, which was believed to have incensed the athlete.)
The production’s second act, then, deals with the fallout from the match over the ensuing decades, Griffith haunted by both the ghost of Paret, and his public image, which never fully recovered after that deadly match.
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In 1972, Griffith eventually married Sadie Donastorg, and would later—years after retiring as a professional athlete—confirm that he identifies as bisexual. In 1992, he was the victim of a brutal hate crime, attacked on the street after leaving a New York gay bar one night. Griffith passed in 2013 at the age of 75.
Griffith’s story is truly larger-than-life, making it an ideal fit for the opera.
Performances of Terence Blanchard’s Champion can be seen at the Met Opera through May 13. Additionally a filmed version of the performance will receive an exclusive theatrical engagement on April 29 and May 3—you can find out more information about those screenings here.
Watch the brief teaser for The Metropolitan Opera’s Champion below:
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Kangol2
A great fairly new opera, worth seeing if you’re in New York. The principle singers’ voices alone are worth the price of the ticket.
Wotan1949
This is a wonderful new opera that had its premiere in St. Louis in 2013. SFJazz did a new production in 2016 and now it’s at the Metropolitan Opera in another new production with an all-star cast. We saw the HD live in movie theaters yesterday 4-29-2023 and highly recommend it. There should be an encore of the new Met version this coming week. Check your local movie theaters. If you like jazz, you will like this. Do you NOT have to like opera.
WendellE
And if, like me, you love opera, and aren’t really into jazz, you may love it, too. I did. I also saw the HD production on the 29th, and had previously seen the original version (before revisions) in New Orleans in 2018.
abfab
I hope to catch. I mentioned this 100 weeks back but you know the boys at Q, they are still living in GayLight Savings Time!
I love OPERA AND JAZZ………bring it! What an amazing fella.