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Nikola Tesla “Light It Up” rock opera debuts June 20 at St. Louis’s Delmar Hall after a four‑year development, spotlighting Tesla’s inventions and rivalries.
Nikola Tesla “Light It Up” – an original rock opera written, composed and produced by brothers Mark and John Rodgers – will open at Delmar Hall on June 20, marking the first theatrical staging of Tesla’s life and inventions [2]. The production aims to translate Tesla’s scientific legacy into a musical narrative, targeting both theatergoers and tech‑enthusiasts eager for a fresh cultural take on the inventor.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Premiere | June 20, 2024 |
| Venue | Delmar Hall, St. Louis |
| Creators | Mark & John Rodgers (writers, composers, producers) |
| Development | Four‑year research & production (2021‑2024) |
The Rodgers brothers, known for the multimedia “DaVinci Michelangelo Experience,” began researching Tesla in 2021, spending four years crafting a script that intertwines his rivalry with Thomas Edison and his groundbreaking inventions [2]. Their approach shifted from an initial musical concept to a full‑scale rock opera after uncovering the dramatic potential in Edison’s “underhanded dealings” and Tesla’s own dramatic personal story [2]. Songs such as “I Am The Original Wizard of Oz” link Tesla’s 1893 Chicago World’s Fair lighting to L. Frank Baum’s Emerald City, while “Colorado Cosmic Cowboy” draws on Tesla’s western Colorado years [2].
Staging a scientific figure as a rock opera is unusual; the Rodgers’ prior work blended history with theatrical spectacle, but “Light It Up” pushes the format further by targeting a niche audience that bridges tech history fans and contemporary music lovers. The production’s launch in St. Louis—a city with a growing music scene highlighted by the St. Louis Music newsletter—offers a regional platform before potential touring, echoing the brothers’ strategy with earlier projects [2]. By framing Tesla as a “modern‑day Leonardo da Vinci,” the opera seeks to capitalize on renewed public fascination with innovators, a trend evident in recent pop‑culture revivals of historical figures.
The premiere underscores a broader movement to reinterpret scientific icons through entertainment, testing whether Tesla’s legacy can resonate on a rock‑opera stage as powerfully as his inventions have shaped modern technology.
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