Review: ‘Miranda’ Poses a Musical Mystery in Virtual Reality
Plugging in, strapping in and booting up like Neo entering the Matrix, I used a loaner Oculus device and a gaming laptop for the 25-minute-long experience, presented by Tri-Cities Opera, LUMA Projection Arts Festival, Enhance VR and Opera Omaha.
First presented live in 2012 by the Here Arts Center in Manhattan, “Miranda,” with music by Kamala Sankaram and a libretto co-written with Rob Reese, hosts you as a juror in this virtual world. A diet-pill heiress named Miranda Wright has been murdered, so explains a robot called D.A.V.E. in a forum that’s both a court of law and reality show. We’re meant to figure out who’s guilty: her mother, father or fiancé?
All this while the characters sing (the actors perform together live via avatars, using motion-capture technology), accompanied by musicians.
“Miranda,” which ran for nine free performances, was viewable any of three ways: full VR; interactive desktop edition; and live on YouTube (where it is still available). But it made little sense except in VR.
See the full story here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/theater/review-miranda-virtual-reality.html