The D.C. Metro Theatre Arts website praised the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music’s recent production of The Outcasts of Poker Flat, which took place the weekend of Nov. 17 through 20. The new American opera, which was written by music school professor Andrew Earle Simpson, was based upon Bret Harte’s short story of the same name and featured a contemporary classical score drawing on folk and country music.
“I am hoping that other productions of The Outcasts of Poker Flats (or, Two Prostitutes, a Thief, and a Gambler Walk into a Bar) will be seen soon on many opera stages and universities around the globe,” wrote reviewer Coral Colón-Muñiz. “This glorious score and relevant and timely story need to be seen and heard.”