Michael Korie

Back home in New York, librettist Michael Korie has a current Broadway sensation—and a Drama Desk nomination—on his hands with the Grey Gardens musical. So why isn’t he already basking on some tropical isle? Instead, he and composer Ricky Ian Gordon (his Upper West Side neighbor) are wintering here in Minnesota, putting the finishing touches on their Minnesota Opera commission, The Grapes of Wrath. In the tradition of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the duo got the story down first; Korie’s poetic libretto, borrowing directly from Steinbeck and salted with a Plains dialect, was penned well before Gordon wrote any orchestration. With the lyrics complete, Gordon then layered in his jazz and roots-inspired orchestration, using stride piano and banjo as well as the full orchestra. “This is an opera in the way that Porgy and Bess is an opera,” declared Korie, referring to that modern classic’s distinctly American musical style and natural approach to storytelling. “We hope you won’t have to look at the supertitles.” Having transformed a 1975 cult documentary into a musical and a great American novel into an opera, we figured Korie would be eager for some R&R on The Rake’s desert island. But he’s planned well for his return to the mainland, as evidenced by the contents of his carry-on:

1. “Iron Chef” Bobby Flay who will be grillin’ and chillin’ while I finally get around to reading …
2. The Complete Unexpurgated Journals of André Gide while relaxing on an …
3. Aero Mattress which happens to be afloat on the same tranquil cove where I have moored my …
4. De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver float plane with an adequate supply of …
5. Airplane fuel to return me home when I have had my fill of wild boar with coconut-mango chutney.