The Opera ‘Monster’s Paradise’ Takes Satirical Aim at Trump

Olga Neuwirth and Elfriede Jelinek’s new opera Monster’s Paradise, in Tobias Kratzer’s production, aims its satire at a Trump-like leader but leaves its most affecting moment to the end. A makeshift raft drifts on a flood as two vampiresses play out-of-tune Schubert on a piano whose keys eventually press themselves; the scene raises questions about art’s power, its futility and its necessity.

The work is finishing its premiere run at the Hamburg State Opera this week before traveling to the Zurich Opera House next month. The show is crowded with topical imagery: a King-President who flushes a golden toilet, feasts on McDonald’s takeout, inflates in a diaper and crown, and moves about by golf cart; a lamp in his oval office represented by a still woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat; references to artificial intelligence; Miss Piggy with an assault rifle; rampaging Kermits; Disney princesses as cheerleaders; and a monster called Gorgonzilla.

monster's paradise, olga neuwirth, elfriede jelinek, tobias kratzer, hamburg opera, zurich opera, trump, political satire, gorgonzilla, miss piggy