Where Law Meets the Stage: Inside Kentucky Opera’s ‘Scalia/Ginsburg’

By Elizabeth Voss, Arts Angle Reporter

Louisville Collegiate School, Class of 2027

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At the Kentucky Opera Center, a harmonious moment arose in a rehearsal for “Scalia/Ginsburg” when two towering but opposing figures sang, “We are different, we are one.”

It sent a satisfying, chill-inducing reminder of the moral to their story. Something extraordinary was unfolding in this duet.

Jennifer Zetlan as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ron Dukes as the Commentator and Jesse Donner as Justice Antonin Scalia in Kentucky Opera’s production of "Scalia/Ginsburg.” Photo courtesy of Kentucky Opera.

The Kentucky Opera’s current production, “Scalia/Ginsburg,” is a journey about friendship, with complex sheet music that takes vocalists portraying historical figures — U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Antonin Scalia — from heightened moments of argument to sensational harmony. Soprano Jennifer Zetlan and tenor Jesse Donner take on these monumental characters, with bass Ron Dukes as an arbitrator between them.

“Scalia/Ginsburg,” Derrick Wang’s one-act operatic comedy, which premiered at the Castleton Festival in Virginia in 2015, explores the real friendship between Ginsburg and Scalia, known for their ideological differences and unifying friendship. Wang’s opera continues with performances on April 16 and 17.

Ginsburg and Scalia served over 22 years together in the U.S. Supreme Court for until Scalia’s death in 2016. Ginsburg, a liberal-leaning justice, believed the Constitution should evolve with society, while Scalia, who was conservative-leaning, argued it should be interpreted as originally written. Key cases like Bush v. Gore and Roe v. Wade marked their differences. Despite their opposing stature and beliefs, the reserved Ginsburg and outspoken Scalia appeared an unlikely duo, yet their friendship defied stereotypes.

Jesse Donner as Justice Antonin Scalia and Jennifer Zetlan as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Kentucky Opera’s production of "Scalia/Ginsburg.” Photo courtesy of Kentucky Opera.

Ginsburg and Scalia may also seem like unlikely operatic subjects, but the two frequented the opera audience themselves. This production brings them center stage, embracing their humanity and larger-than-life presence. The production takes on a more reverent tone since Ginsburg’s passing in 2020.

Director Audrey Chait described her approach as a “different process from something where it has to come from my imagination. This comes from real life.”

At the same time, the production doesn’t always stay so grounded. “Scalia/Ginsburg” often blends fact with theatricality.

“It’s sort of like honoring who these people were for real, and then also merging that with the silliness and the kind of magical realism of the opera,” Chait said.

Ron Dukes as the Commentator, Jennifer Zetlan as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Jesse Donner as Justice Antonin Scalia in Kentucky Opera’s production of "Scalia/Ginsburg.” Photo courtesy of Kentucky Opera.

Part of that magical realism is manifested in the set design, which was loaded in before rehearsal. Golden poles ran from floor to ceiling, alongside timeless desks and chairs fit for a courtroom. With quills, textbooks, and even an amplified version of the Constitution plastered along the backdrop with “We the People,” the largest of all. These simple yet effective set design choices place Ginsburg and Scalia in a timeless room created for contemporary storytelling.

Conductor Everett McCorvey, a University of Kentucky professor, an Endowed Chair in Opera Studies and the its Opera Theatre director, emphasized the importance of contemporary storytelling in opera today.

“I’m a huge champion and believer in American opera and how opera relates to what’s going on in our society today,” he said. “We are writing about things that are happening now, stories that are happening now, people that are happening now.”

Jesse Donner as Justice Antonin Scalia and Ron Dukes as the Commentator in Kentucky Opera’s production of "Scalia/Ginsburg.” Photo courtesy of Kentucky Opera.

That relevance is part of what makes “Scalia/Ginsburg” stand out. Rather than focusing solely on political conflict, the opera highlights connection, something McCorvey believes is essential.

“We are all human,” he said.

McCorvey indicated how the opera examines this.

“We can have a different point of view about the same document,” he said. “But then at the end of the day, we're still friends. We can still enjoy our passions outside of the workspace together, although we disagree.”

McCorvey went on to say, “This is a model for how we need to be as a country.”

Chait echoed that idea, pointing to the shared foundation that allows Ginsburg and Scalia’s disagreements to exist.

“We have to kind of share an understanding of what we’re doing,” she said.

Jennifer Zetlan as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Kentucky Opera’s production of "Scalia/Ginsburg.” Photo courtesy of Kentucky Opera.

That sense of collaboration was clear in the rehearsal, and not just between the characters, but among the performers. McCorvey described his role in this.

“My job is to give [the performers] the space to be able to sound good and give [them] the freedom to be able to be artistic,” he said.

One of the production’s most striking elements is its ability to capture Ginsburg’s cultural impact, from her galvanizing grand entrance to her powerful notes on equality.

“Ah, but women belong in all places where decisions are being made,” Ginsburg cleverly answers the ominous Commentator, who is part narrator and part referee to the story.

“You would think you were at a rock concert,” Chait said of Ginsberg’s entrance onstage, ”just because the headliner has arrived.”

A week before opening night, that energy was present in rehearsal, where every moment felt charged with purpose. Even the rehearsal for the production offered an impactful encounter, promising to invite audiences to listen, reflect, and even reconsider what it means to disagree.

Ultimately, “Scalia/Ginsburg” demonstrates it is both timely and timeless.