Love Life

Kurt Weill

16 - 18 January 2025

Dates

In 1948 – the year of Love Life‘s Broadway premiere – husband and wife Sam and Susan Cooper try to recall a time when their marriage was happy.

They reckon it was in 1790… The show then follows the ups and downs of the Coopers’ family life through 150 turbulent years of American history – during which they do not age – to paint the portrait of a marriage and of a nation.

Kurt Weill collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner (of My Fair Lady fame) to create a Broadway musical that was way ahead of its time, anticipating the later innovations in form and content of Stephen Sondheim. But Weill also pays loving tribute to the traditions of American popular music – especially vaudeville – in a score full of hummable show tunes and dazzlingly inventive orchestration.

A hit on Broadway when it opened – the New York Daily Mirror called it “superlative entertainment – a song and dance show with great heart” – it has never been given a definitive recording. That will be set right when these special Opera North performances are recorded in collaboration with the Kurt Weill Foundation. Don’t miss a unique opportunity to catch this important, influential, brilliantly entertaining show.

Price

From £16*

Venue

Leeds Grand Theatre

Running time
Approximately 3 hours

Language
Sung in English with English subtitles

Buy your programme in advance
Digital (£4) or printed (£6+£2.50 postage)

Find the best tickets for you
Multibuy packages
£20 new to opera tickets
£10 for under 30s and children
Free for 16-20s in Leeds
Group and schools discounts

*Prices vary by venue. Booking fees may apply.

Bite to eat before the show?

Kino’s seasonal pre-theatre menu is a little bit French, a lot British, and Yorkshire through and through. Think classic dishes reimagined, made from scratch by our award-winning chefs using the best local and wild produce. Sit back and relax as we make sure you have a pre-show meal to remember!

Media

Act 1: The Magician
Sam and Susan Cooper, chosen by the Magician for his most impressive tricks, try to remember a time when their marriage was happy. It was in 1791…

Sketch 1: Mayville, 1791
Sam and Susan and their children Johnny and Elizabeth have arrived in Mayville, a small rural community, where Sam plans to open a furniture store. Sam introduces his family to the townsfolk.
🎶 Who Is Samuel Cooper?
🎶 Here I’ll Stay

Act 2
🎶 Progress

Sketch 2: Mayville, 1821
The landscape of Mayville has changed. Sam decides to shut up shop and go to work in one of the new factories. Sam and Susan reminisce about their first days in Mayville. Despite his imminent departure, the family decides to go ahead with their Green-Up party, a celebration of the arrival of spring.
🎶 I Remember It Well
🎶 Green-Up Time

Act 3
Economics

Sketch 3: A town, 1857: the Coopers’ living room
Sam has left the factory and is about to start a new job in railroad construction. Susan tells him she wants another child.

Act 4
🎶 Mother’s Getting Nervous

Sketch 4: A town, 1894: the Cooper home
Sam is enjoying some rare time off work, while Susan hosts a women-only meeting. The children are bored.
🎶 My Kind Of Night
🎶 Women’s Club Blues

Act 5
🎶 Love Song

Sketch 5: An ocean liner, 1920s
Sam is hustling for business and neglects Susan, who is tempted to find consolation elsewhere.
🎶 I’m Your Man
🎶 Finale

Act 1
🎶 Ho, Billy O! (Madrigal)

Sketch 1: New York City, 1948: The Coopers’ apartment
Sam is working at a bank, Susan in a store. The family quarrels over the radio.
🎶 Susan’s Dream

Sketch 2: The Coopers’ apartment, sometime later
Sam and Susan have decided to divorce.
🎶 I Remember It Well (reprise)
🎶 Is It Him Or Is It Me?

Act 2
🎶 Divorce Ballet

Sketch 3: A hotel room, 1948
Sam revels in his freedom.
🎶 This Is The Life

Act 3: The Illusion Minstrel Show
Susan and Sam are no happier apart than they were together. A Con Man presents the Illusion Minstrel Show. The Interlocutor introduces Miss Horoscope, Miss Mysticism, Mr Cynic and Miss Ideal Man, who suggest different ways for the couple to escape their troubles. Sam and Susan choose to face reality and try to reach each other again.
🎶 The Minstrel Show
🎶 Mr Right
🎶 Finale