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Music

At WNO’s electric ‘Elektra,’ the night is short and full of terrors

Soprano Christine Goerke dances along the razor’s edge in finely cast production of Strauss’s one-act psychological thriller

Review by
Soprano Christine Goerke, left, as Elektra and soprano Sara Jakubiak as Chrysothemis in Washington National Opera’s “Elektra.” (Photos by Scott Suchman)
6 min

On my walk to the Kennedy Center for Washington National Opera’s new production of Richard Strauss’s “Elektra,” I encountered skeletons and zombies, a roving crew of drag “Karens” and what I must assume was intended to be a Sexy SpongeBob.

I have no clue what kind of Halloween high jinks these folks were getting into, but I can say with confidence that I had the scarier night.