The Reviews Are In
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The Reviews Are In -
St. John the Baptist
“Finally, a word about librettist Bari Biern. If librettists are not as well known as an opera’s composers, maybe it’s because when a librettist is doing their job, they meld with the work of the composer, and the work becomes one blended entity. Librettist Bari Biern’s work in John the Baptist blends into Stradella’s (and Timothy Nelson’s). Her words fit into the story and the conceit of this production, urging both the characters and the audience along. It’s in large part because of Biern’s deft use of language that the audience is able to take in some of the large musical, emotional, and conceptual leaps that it does.”
—DC Theatre Arts
“The best thing I saw in 2025 was St. John the Baptist
What do you get when you blend innovative 17th century composition, 1970s family drama, and one of the most sordid tales of the New Testament?
You get In Series Opera’s premiere co-production with Catapult Opera of St. John the Baptist, a show so fantastic I had to see it twice. The setting, action, and characters were all so captivating, at once pathetic, sympathetic, and grotesque. And all told through a well-written new English libretto (a feat unto itself) set to an unbelievably gorgeous Baroque score. It was funny, it was heart wrenching, it was disturbing and twisted, in all the best ways. There is a full video of the production freely available to watch through the company’s website, which I can’t recommend enough.”
—Parterre Box
Rigoletto
“Bari Biern’s clever new translation of the libretto closely followed the contours of Francesco Maria Piave’s original text while accommodating snappy rhymes and a natural rhythm in English. For example, she adapted “La donna è mobile,” which is generally translated as “Woman is fickle,” instead as “Women are featherbrained,” fitting the music more closely. An alumna of the late Washington, DC political satire institution The Capitol Steps (which took its name from a South Carolina congressman’s early 1980s sex scandal that would not be out of character for Verdi’s Duke), Biern brought her impeccable sense of timing and wordplay to this Rigoletto.”
—Parterre Box
“This circus version of Rigoletto, complete with a circus band and bawdy new text by Bari Biern, is at once darkly devilish, toe-tappingly infectious, and horrifically funny. Verdi’s masterpiece is made intimate, in-your-face, and inescapably enjoyable under the big top.”
—American Theatre
“Set in a three-ring circus rather than the Duke’s palace, IN Series’ production of “Rigoletto” provides Verdi devotees with a thoughtful, non-traditional presentation of the work. At the same time, it is sung in English (text by Bari Biern) rather than the original Italian, giving this “Rigoletto” a degree of accessibility that could draw the uninitiated into a new-found love of opera.”
—Maryland Theatre Guide
Don Pasquale
“Happiness is a theatrical adaptation that successfully reinvents the original. Don Pasquale has a new English libretto by Bari Biern that adds hilariously fresh comedy to the wonderful music.”
— DC Metro Theatre Arts
“And a special hat tip goes - as it so often does - to Bari Biern, who managed to turn out a terrific (and occasionally risqué), accessible, contemporary English libretto, including a notable profusion of witty rhyming couplets. Brava!”
—Communities Digital News
Don Giovanni
"Biern wrote the hilarious Wild West version of Abduction from the Seraglio and she does it again - effortlessly transforming Giovanni into an itinerant American preacher... One of the best productions of the year."
- DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Biern cleverly updates Tirso de Molina's 17th-century cape and sword plot, juicy lyrics... I felt like cheering every show-stopper. A must see."
—DC Theatre Scene
The Marriage Of Figaro: Las Vegas Version
"Bari Biern's lyric work astonishes... Here's hoping that she'll continue to provide lyrics for many an opera and musical, for she's got her eye and ear on craft, and her comic gifts are considerable."
Abduction from the Seraglio
“I loved the way Biern [...] stays true to the source […] Abduction is a brilliant collaboration.”
—DC Theatre Scene
"Biern's adaptation turned out to be rip-roarin', double-barreled fun."
"Biern's adaptation turned out to be rip-roarin', double-barreled fun."
“I loved the way Biern [...] stays true to the source […] Abduction is a brilliant collaboration.”
—DC Theatre Scene
"Biern's adaptation turned out to be rip-roarin', double-barreled fun."
“I loved the way Biern [...] stays true to the source […] Abduction is a brilliant collaboration.”
—DC Theatre Scene
Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi
"Best of all, the cleverly updated and still-witty libretto has been recast in English by the amazingly talented Bari Biern."
—The Washington Times
"Librettist Bari Biern, brilliantly translates the Italian libretto into easy-to-understand English, capturing the needling wit, wordplay and the double meanings... Better yet, Biern heightens the humor by Americanizing the libretto."
- DC Theatre Scene