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Smashing Pumpkins Debut Operatic 'Mellon Collie' With Lyric Opera in Chicago

Seven performances foreground new orchestral arrangements led by James Lowe with guest opera soloists.

Overview

  • Opening night at the Civic Opera House on Nov. 21 premiered the reimagined program with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
  • Hits including “Tonight, Tonight,” “1979” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” appeared in new sequences across a 17–18 song set.
  • Billy Corgan performed on only a handful of numbers, with lead vocals primarily handled by Sydney Mancasola, Zoie Reams, Dominick Valdés Chenes and Edward Parks.
  • The roughly 90‑minute show plus intermission featured Chicago‑centric projections and couture costumes by Chloe Mendel Corgan and Gilles Mendel.
  • The run continues through Nov. 30 with tickets nearly sold out, coinciding with a 30th‑anniversary 6LP deluxe reissue featuring unreleased audio, a hardbound book, tarot cards and lithographs.