Artbeat: Stars and Stripes

Famous for his marches, John Philip Sousa liked to line the troops up on stage, too. Of his nine operettas, Glass Blowers is perhaps the best. Set, alternately, in a Park Avenue apartment, an upstate New York glass factory, and Cuba during the Spanish-American War, this all-American tale takes a tongue-in-cheek look at patriotism gone haywire. There's also romance, and a plot twist or two. In a stunning, pared-down production created for the Glimmerglass Opera by widely acclaimed designer John Conklin, Glass Blowers makes its first appearance on the New York stage since 1913. Starring soprano Maria Kanyova as Annabelle, a debutante—cum— factory worker—cum—Red Cross nurse, and tenor Jeffrey Lentz as Jack Bartlett, the dashing millionaire. New York City Opera, New York; April 16—28; 212/870-5570.