Emperor's New Clothes (2017)
One act opera in three scenes
Librettist: Amanda Hollander
Performed by the UCLA Opera department
Ostin Music Center, California on March 1, 2018
TEXT:
Another proclamation here,
A royal invitation there
To lure each ambitious weaver,
Every cut-from-cloth deceiver,
To magic fabrics for our lord,
The Emperor of cloth and cord.
The sire of silk! The king of crepe! Oh, when he passes people gape. Though he is—we secretly agree—
A real ruby-buttoned booby
And though in rule he lacks finesse, No man can claim he’s better dressed. He has replaced diplomacy
With regal haberdashery.
While we wait for a royal prince
Our Queen sits neglected for prints Of purple plumes, for saffron thread, Vermillion caps that warm the head. For emerald, indigo, and pink.
You would almost begin to think
That the Emperor has no clothes!