Atlanta Opera and Alliance Theatre bring 'The Shining' to the stage

ATLANTA - It’s been 46 years since Stephen King first chilled audiences to the bone with his bestselling novel "The Shining." Now, the horrors of the Overlook Hotel are coming to life here in Atlanta, thanks to a cutting-edge collaboration between The Atlanta Opera and Alliance Theatre.

"The Shining" — an English-language opera based on the novel — opened last Friday on the Coca-Cola Stage at The Woodruff Arts Center, home of Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. A co-production of The Atlanta Opera and Alliance Theatre, the opera will run through Oct. 1 for 11 performances total and was composed by Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell. "The Shining" premiered at the Ordway Music Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota back in 2016 — but this is the first time it’s been staged on the East Coast. 

Chances are you’ve either read the book or seen the 1980 movie version (starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall and directed by Stanley Kubrick – although the opera is based exclusively on the book), but in case you haven’t, "The Shining" tells the story of writer Jack Torrance, who moves with his family to the remote Overlook Hotel to serve as caretaker for the winter. Once there, the family encounters supernatural forces, and, well, that’s about all we can tell you. Baritones Craig Irvin and Thomas Glass share the role of Jack Torrance, while Kelly Kaduce and Kearstin Piper Brown alternate in the role of wife Wendy Torrance.

Performances of "The Shining" continue on select dates through Oct. 1; tickets start at $25 and are available online through The Atlanta Opera and Alliance Theatre. And click the video player in this article to check out our preview of this haunting production!