As the name suggests, Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera. Inspired in the homonymous play composed by Leonard Bernstein (the creator of West Side Story), it tells the story of Sam and Dinah, a Vancouverite couple with regular jobs, regular lives, and a troublesome relationship. It plays a lot with the ups and downs of their every day lives, and the way in which both parties attempt to reignite their marriage life despite of the fear that this brings to the minds of both.
The opera is accompanied by jazz music, beautifully performed in the piano virtually non stop for the full 45 minutes that the play lasts. Also supporting the opera storyline is a chorus of three characters that, while are not assigned a specific name or role in the storyline, are fundamental to tell the story and to inject bits of humour to an otherwise rather sober play.
Trouble in Tahiti is produced by the Vancouver Concert Cooperative (VANCOCO) and performed by singers Ed Moran, Natalie Burdeny, Katherine Landry, Paul Just, and Grant Ludlow. It took place at the Firehall Arts Centre during the Vancouver Fringe Festival.