We Lived Only for the Music: Max Lorenz and the Third Reich
Madison Lyric Stage, an award-winning professional theater company on the Connecticut shoreline, will present the return engagement of We Lived Only for the Music: Max Lorenz and the Third Reich, a one-man play with music, written and performed by international Wagnerian tenor Marc Deaton. Performances, commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day, will take place January 31 at 7:00 pm and February 1 at 4:00 pm at Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society, 297 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT.
The play, originally produced by Madison Lyric Stage in 2018, chronicles the remarkable life of Max Lorenz, one of Germany’s leading Wagnerian tenors during the 1930s and 1940s. A star of Wagner’s Bayreuth Festival and known as Hitler’s favorite singer, Lorenz faced significant danger with the rise of Nazism due to his Jewish wife and concealed homosexuality. His connection to the Wagner family, particularly Winifred Wagner, ultimately saved his life from the terror of the time, though not without great personal sacrifice.
Featuring operatic excerpts by Wagner and Strauss sung by Deaton, this play marks the launch of Madison Lyric Stage’s new Winter Concert Series.
The performances on January 31 and February 1 will be followed by a talk back interview moderated by award-winning local journalist Pem McNerney about Deaton’s 40-year anniversary in opera.
“I am thrilled to once again share Max Lorenz’s inspiring story with the shoreline community,” said Marc Deaton, artistic director of Madison Lyric Stage. “This play explores the intersection of Wagner’s operatic genius and the devastating impact of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. It is a testament to the resilience of art and the human spirit against incredible odds.”
Tickets are $40 and available at madisonlyricstage.org or by calling 203-215-6329.