Is opera escapist? Not this summer at Glimmerglass, where Blue receives its world premiere. The composer is Jeanine Tesori, whose musical Fun Home won five Tony Awards in 2015, including Best Musical. The librettist and director is Tazewell Thompson. In telling the story of a black family in Harlem—a police officer, his wife, and their politically active son—the team took inspiration from literary works by James Baldwin, Claude Brown, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. —L.J.

Similar events around the world: Blue receives its Washington premiere at the Washington National Opera, Kennedy Center (March 15–28, 2020).