back to article Dead Steve Jobs' life and times are being turned into an OPERA

An opera about Steve Jobs will be premiering in 2017, titled The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Sante Fe Opera has commissioned the work, which "examines the life of one of the most fascinating figures of our time; an innovator who simplified communication with sleek devices, but who paradoxically learned that complex human …

  1. Michael Hoffmann Silver badge
    Headmaster

    Not Christine

    It's Chrisann Brennan.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmmm...

    What opera should we compare this one to? Faust? Till Eulenspiegel? Götterdämmerung?

    1. MrT
      Angel

      Re: Hmmm...

      It could start all jolly, like a Gilbert and Sullivan theme:-

      "I am the very model of what modern venture capital

      Can achieve when combined with fervour most maniacal,

      I know the heads of companies, and quote ideas graphical

      From my man Woz to PARC Xerox, in order categorical." etc...

      It could move through the electro-pop back catalogue with a sub-theme based on Ultravox's "Vienna" (especially for the years when Gil Amelio was running Apple), then moving into Something more like Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round" (so many levels of possibility there), which moves into a reprise of "Vienna" as the health issues become apparent ("It means nothing to me..."), before switching to something that could sound like the Fast Show's "Boris ton Bastardo" opera parody, before rounding off with the Four Tops "I'll be there".

      The audience can all take part via an iPhoneiPad app that will link their iDevices together (like the sort of thing that Dan Deacon does) to project a giant image of Steve/the changing Apple logo/a black turtleneck, etc across the auditorium, before "One more thing" scrolls across followed by a giant question mark to finish off.

      Or nothing like that (apart from maybe the app thing)...

      1. h4rm0ny

        Re: Hmmm...

        I don't know, but I have a perfect mental image of Elmer Fudd as Steve Jobs singing:

        "Kiiiiiillll the Wozzzzzzzzzniak"

      2. Woza
        Go

        Re: Hmmm...

        The G&S could switch into a classical-style opera, with lyrics in Italian...

        "Gli angoli sono rotonde,

        e si tiene sbagliato

        C'è solo un pulsante,

        Non un grosso problema"

    2. Warm Braw

      Re: Hmmm...

      Historically, there seem to be two categories of opera character death - traduced & tragic or evil & deserved. I'm not sure evil & tragic will work as a piece of drama.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Hmmm...

        It could be similar to any of the most boring operas. All that was interesting about Steve jobs was the fact that he earned money for many people, end of story.

        He was a successful business men, that's all... Apple products are consumer products, they don't have magical powers or mystical properties, they are consumer goods that must be bought and paid for....end of story.

        How about we make an opera about the over-population of the world, or the rise of ISIS, or destruction of the Ukraine... At least they would fit in with the typical operatic leitmotifs.

    3. Daedalus

      Re: Hmmm...

      Einstein on the Beach?

  3. Robert Helpmann??
    Paris Hilton

    Non sequitur much?

    "We have included a symphony, titled Alternative Energy, by composer Mason Bates below."

    And is this the composer with whom the Santa Fe Opera (not the Sante Fe Opera, I believe) commissioned this work or was that just thrown in for additional entertainment value? Editor? A little help here, please.

    Good choice of banner image, though.

    1. thomas k

      Re: Non sequitur much?

      Ninja'd by you, was coming to post exactly that same question. Have an up-vote.

  4. beep54
    Angel

    More humm...

    Not familiar with this composer. My first thought was John Adams (whom I like) who composed the totally unexpected "Nixon in China" opera. There's just something marvelously outre about Nixon and Kissinger (baritone and bass, resp.) singing at one another on an airplane to China. So at first, my reaction to this was rather positive. Could still be interesting tho.

    1. Mpeler

      Re: More humm...

      I was thinking John Adams too, both because of "Nixon in China" and his minimalistic compositional style, which would fit well with Jobs's asceticism (and perfectionism).

  5. Mark 85

    Why am I reminded of the movie: The Producers by all this? Maybe there will be a spin-off song: "Springtime for Stevie and the Valley"?

  6. NanoMeter

    The potential is big

    With the Apple sheeps.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The potential is big

      I am not convinced that the typical Apple Sheep attend the Opera.

      ps : Sheep is already plural... ( Your IPhone should have spotted that mistake for you, baaaaaaahhh).

      1. Mpeler
        Coat

        Re: The potential is big

        Depends on how fast they travel in a vacuum...

  7. jake Silver badge

    Lovely.

    Steve's spinning fast enough to power all to iFads world-wide.

    1. Mpeler
      Trollface

      Re: Lovely. (Steve spinning powering iFads)

      So that's why they all catch on fire :)

  8. mrbeardy

    Time for a rewrite?

    I think it would be more appropriate if they re-enacted his life in the form of a Safari instead.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If it was a play

    it could be called 'i Jobs'.

    It worked out well for Mr Claudius or CLAVDIVS, if you prefer.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Opera you say....

    hmm, wonder if Cumberbatch can hold a tune?

  11. Big_Boomer Silver badge

    What?

    Nein, nee, nej, niet, non, jo, ne, ez, ei, cha and **** no! I can't think of anything more boring,... unless they also want to make one about Bill Gates.

    1. Trollslayer

      Re: What?

      At least Bill Gates has done things for the world.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What?

        Yes, his companies Carbon Footprint has helped accelerate its demise.

  12. macjules

    To be followed by ...

    Ballmer!

    A comic rock-opera about the life and times of Steve Ballmer. Features such hits as 'Developers! Developers!', 'Where Did All the Money Go?', 'Nokia Belongs To Me!' and the ending hit song 'Screw you guys, I'm going home'.

    1. Mpeler
      Windows

      Re: To be followed by ...

      Not forgetting, of course,

      "I'm Neither Here Nor There; I Think I'll Throw a Chair"...

      Or, he could teach "Little Known Facts" (as in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown):

      "Lucy: Do you see this tree? It is a fir tree.

      It's called a fir tree because it gives us fur for coats.

      It also gives us wool in the wintertime."

  13. Tromos

    Advance tickets now on sale...

    ...to get as far away from Santa Fe Opera as possible.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Advance tickets now on sale...

      Considering that Santa Fe is a city-sized hangout for the Beautiful PeopleTM, I'd expect to see a pretty fair little opera company there, maybe with a strong whiff of cowboy...

      1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

        Re: Advance tickets now on sale...

        Considering that Santa Fe is a city-sized hangout for the Beautiful PeopleTM, I'd expect to see a pretty fair little opera company there, maybe with a strong whiff of cowboy...

        I've never noticed much cowboy in Santa Fe. Gallup, say, or even Las Vegas (NM, not NV) - yeah, some cowboy. Santa Fe is a mix of old families (Mexican, Pueblo, and combinations thereof) and wealthy white folks who come for the climate and art scene, plus some minor amusements like state government. And yes, the opera is a big deal in SF.

        Santa Fe has some good stuff, but I generally avoid it, to be honest. We prefer Española (for the food) and Taos (for everything else). But if you wanted to cal that just another sort of pretension I couldn't really argue.

    2. Mpeler
      Alien

      Re: Advance tickets now on sale...

      Well, there goes Burning Man, then.....

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe the lead role could be shared?

    Sam Smith (young Jobs) and Bill Bailey (elder Jobs)?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    i've got the title for the show

    'BIG JOBS'

    (stop sniggering)

    1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: i've got the title for the show

      Crivins! Will it feature the wee great hag?

  16. DJV Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Can't wait...

    ...for the "You're Holding It Wrong" aria!

    1. Paul Westerman
      Coat

      Re: Can't wait...

      or maybe 'Siri, your tiny app has frozen' ?

      1. macjules

        Re: Can't wait...

        "Don't let the Sun (SPARC) go down on me"

  17. BenBell
    Joke

    Still better than...

    Still better than "The Only Way is Essex", "Geordie Shore", "Made In Chelsea", The BBC Parliment Channel, and all these other crappy reality TV shows.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    since its an opera

    there'll be no shortage of fat bastards to play Wozniak.

  19. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
    Coat

    But... will it play using the Opera browser

    or only using Safari?

    Had to be asked but I'll get me coat anyway.

    1. macjules
      Facepalm

      Re: But... will it play using the Opera browser

      It was due for release in 2012, but the draft was written in Pages and it's taken that long to get it to open :)

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Hold my hand (no, that's not my hand)".

    "Willies, willies, i love willies!"

    Please get Graham Linehan to write this opera, Apple.

    1. Captain DaFt

      Re: "Hold my hand (no, that's not my hand)".

      Nay!, I say! For an opus of such magnitude, only Trey Parker and Matt Stone can do it justice!

  21. Wisteela
    WTF?

    So much pretension

    Cue the fanboys queuing up already

    1. macjules

      Re: So much pretension

      I think that tickets have already sold out. In fact they were queuing up at the AppleStore in Covent Garden all night, thinking it was the ROH.

  22. mutt65

    Jobs?

    Brilliant minds often belong to the most difficult, arrogant, and obnoxious people: Jobs at the top of the list. He was a gifted seer into the GUI and marketing of what became Apple, but he paid people to do the work. Yes, he was amazing, but that amazement was met by an obnoxious, child-like buffoon who couldn't handle criticism or change well at all. The fan boys and girls need to find another bandwagon.

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