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History and Opera Combine at Pollak

Nixon in China will be simulcast at the Pollak Theatre at Monmouth University on Saturday, Feb 12 at 1 p.m.

Fans of history and fans of opera music may not agree on much, but there will be something for both of those groups at the Pollak Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m., as Monmouth University will be simulcasting Nixon in China from the world famous Metropolitan Opera.

For those unfamiliar with the premise of the show, the opera is about President Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China and his meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong. Along with those two characters, there are four other major characters in the opera, including Richard Nixon’s wife, Pat Nixon; Mao Zedong’s wife, Chiang Ch’ing; and the close advisors of the two men, Chou En-lai and Henry Kissinger.

The opera itself is broken down into three acts. The first act takes a look at all of the anticipation surrounding President Nixon’s arrival into China, the second act takes a look at President Nixon’s wife touring China and becoming accustomed to the nation, and the final act looks at the culmination of the trip taken by the Nixon family to China.

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Looking at this event through a historical perspective, this is one of the most historical events of the 20th Century, as it marked the first time a sitting United States president had visited China. The reason President Nixon had visited China in the first place was to sign the Shanghai Communique, which was an agreement that basically stated the United States and China would work together in order to create better relations between the two nations.

Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Adams explained on the Metropolitan Opera web site that the meeting between Nixon and Mao is one of the most famous moments in American history, and one that he very much wanted to turn into a show.

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“The meeting of Nixon and Mao is a mythological moment in world history, particularly American history,” Adams said.

This will be the sixth opera simulcast at the Pollak Theatre this school year, with operas previously shown at Monmouth including such classics as Don Pasquale and Don Carlo. What makes this opera special is that it is the only one at Monmouth University that will not feature an encore, so this is the only opportunity for local patrons to see this performance of Nixon in China.

The approximate running time for the performance at 1 p.m. will be three hours and forty minutes, with intermissions at 2:12 and 3:35 p.m. Tickets for the event are $23, and tickets can be purchased by calling the Monmouth University Box Office at 732-263-6889, or by visiting the box office online at www.monmouth.edu/arts.

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