Works & Process presents Opera Philadelphia for a preview performance of Complications in Sue by Michael R. Jackson, set for Friday, January 16, 2026 at 7PM at the Peter B. Lewis Theater, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10128. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased here.

Before its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia in February, this preview of Complications in Sue shows how one librettist, one actor, four singers, and ten composers joined forces to make opera in a brand-new way. In his first opera libretto, Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning playwright Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) traces the life of a woman named Sue over ten decades. Sue’s life—from the mundane to the extraordinary—unfolds, with each chapter scored by a different musical luminary.

Opera Philadelphia favorites Missy Mazzoli (Breaking the Waves, The Listeners), Rene Orth (10 Days in a Madhouse), and Nico Muhly (Dark Sisters) return alongside a panoply of company debuts from notable composers, like Grammy Awards–nominee Nathalie Joachim. The production stars MacArthur Fellow and cabaret icon Justin Vivian Bond, with Zack Winokur and Raja Feather Kelly directing, and conductor Caren Levinemaking her Opera Philadelphia debut. Jackson, Costanzo, Winokur, and Kelly join in a moderated discussion blended with performance highlights.

Production details are available at https://www.operaphila.org/about/news-press/pressroom/2025/complications/.