“THE FIRST LADY” is a story of betrayal, growth, and resilience. It’s a new opera concerning two weeks in the life of Eleanor Roosevelt (in this 125th anniversary of her birth), from the death of FDR to VE Day. Music by Kenneth Wells. Libretto by Kenneth Wells, Gayle Strauss, Rick Roudebush, and Matt Wells. Sponsored and co-produced by the UCLA Semel Institute’s Health Services Research Center and needtheater.

On the day of his death, Franklin D. Roosevelt was in Warm Springs with his long-term love, Lucy Rutherfurd. Eleanor Roosevelt, in DC at the time, learns of his “fainting spell” but FDR’s physician downplays its significance so Lucy can leave unnoticed. When Eleanor learns the truth from his cousins as she returns on the train with his remains—and that the affair was promoted by her daughter Anna—her grief turns to shock and betrayal. The world premiere of this two-act opera shows how these women achieve personal growth while they — and the rest of the nation, still at war — suffer the loss of the beloved President.

Location:
UCLA Semel Institute West Auditorium
760 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW!

FREE | UCLA SEMEL INSTITUTE WEST AUDITORIUM | 2/19/10 – 3/07/10 | 7:30 PM