The Second Hurricane
Composed by Aaron Copland
Libretto by Edwin Denby
Directed by Gary F. Bell
Stray Dog Theatre
August 15, 2025
Cast of The Second Hurricane
Photo: Stray Dog Theatre
Stray Dog Theatre is venturing into a new artistic area with their latest production, Aaron Copland’s 1937 youth opera The Second Hurricane. Featuring simple but striking staging, excellent vocals, and a promising cast of talented young performers, it’s an intriguing and musically impressive production that highlights its cast and Copland’s score. It’s also something of a trip back in time, considering how its tone and sense of theming effectively evoke the era in which the work is set.
This was well-known composer Copland’s first venture into opera, and it was intended as a youth show, that I could easily imagine being done by high school choir groups. The show features a youth chorus and an adult chorus, with some spoken parts but mostly focusing on the music. The story follows a Midwest community in the 1930s after a devastating tornado. When a pilot arrives at a local high school trying to recruit volunteers to help distribute supplies to those affected by the catastrophe, an assertive girl named Gwen (Bryn Sentnor) steps up and volunteers, and soon five more are recruited to join her–Butch (Soren Carroll), brothers Fat (Wesley Balsamo) and Gyp (Ben Hammock), radio enthusiast Lowrie (Jabari Boykin), and Queenie (Nadja Kapetanovich). The six are dropped off at an area of high ground near the affected area, and then find themselves stranded when another hurricane strikes. They group of six also has grown to seven, since they are joined by Jeff (Cece Mohr), a younger boy who lives nearby. The rest of the show follows the group’s “adventure” as they struggle to survive and form a bond as a result of their shared struggle.
The choruses serve the purpose of narrating the action as well as carrying the soaring notes of the melodic score. There are also strong vocal turns from all of the featured young performers, and everyone is excellent. It’s an ideal showcase for this group of talented and highly promising young singers. The acting is good, but there isn’t much in the way of dialogue, and I also found myself occasionally wishing for supertitles–as local opera companies are known to use–because it’s not always easy to understand the lyrics. Still, it’s a compelling story and a strong, memorable score, lushly played by a superb orchestra led by music director John Gerdes.
Another especially notable aspect of this production is its lighting and costumes. The set by director Gary F. Bell is simple but all that is necessary, as much of the atmosphere is achieved by means of music and by Tyler Duenow’s stunning lighting. There are also excellent period-accurate costumes by Colleen Michelson that add to the overall ambience and 1930’s vibe.
This is a very 1930’s show, but its message is also a timeless one, of community and working together in a crisis, as well as the focus on young people as hope for the future. It’s a stirring theme for Depression-era audiences as well as today. It’s a fine new venture for Stray Dog Theatre.
Jabari Boykin, Soren Carroll, Bryn Sentnor, Wesley Balsamo, Ben Hammock
Photo: Stray Dog Theater
Stray Dog Theatre is presenting The Second Hurricane until August 30, 2025