The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs: An Opera
Hollywood and television portrayals of Steve Jobs’s life have
struck mostly sour notes with fans, historians, and the people
who best knew the man.
In 2017, composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark
Campbell attempted to bring his complex personality to life
with the opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Staged by
the Santa Fe Opera, it featured tenor Garrett Sorenson in the
role of Steve Wozniak and baritone Edward Parks III as Steve
Jobs. The work received mixed reviews from critics, though
audience reception was positive for the most part.
According to the Denver Post’s Ray Mark Rinaldi,
many people leaving the opera seemed “grateful to have
an opera that spoke directly to their own history — and
incredulous that the thing could get such bad reviews.”
Rinaldi continued: “Opera just might have its first
critic-proof hit. Hollywood makes them all the time — badly
reviewed products that go on to break box office records,
critics be damned. In the classical world, as with Broadway,
pans are more likely to keep crowds away and discourage
future productions. ’Jobs’ is so topical, likable and rele-
vant to everyone carrying the miracle of a smartphone
in their pockets that bad reviews may not matter.”
After the opera’s debut in Santa Fe, productions were
added to the seasons of opera companies in San Francisco
and Seattle, where audiences were especially familiar with
Jobs’s legacy.
Unlikely as it may seem, Jobs may be the perfect
subject for a modern opera, as the genre seeks new stories
to make itself accessible to more people. After all, Apple
made technology accessible with its intuitive devices.
The daunting task of telling Jobs’s story in opera went
to Campbell, a prolific writer considered by Opera News “one
of the most in-demand librettists in the world.” Campbell is
known for an adaptation of The Shining for the Minnesota
Opera that earned rave reviews. He also wrote the libretto for
the opera Silent Night about the famous “Christmas truce”
during World War I, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012.
“I was kind of hesitant at first about the subject,”
Campbell said. “Steve Jobs is so popular and a part of
our world, and creating an opera is full of minefields.
But I saw a way into the story that could work. I was not
interested in creating a story that made him a big hero,
nor did I want an opera that vilified him in any way. I
created a libretto that paints a balanced portrait of him.”
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(PAGE 50) Baritone Edward Parks III plays
Steve Jobs. PHOTO: Ken Howard for Santa Fe
Opera, 2017
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