When America was gripped by an outbreak of Brokeback Mountain spotted fever a few years ago—a rare condition characterized by an onset of involuntary gay-cowboy jokes and acute rose-stemming—more than a few of the afflicted (ourselves included) were visited by visions of high-kicking chorus-boys in a Brokeback musical. Now, reports Variety, our rhinestone-studded delusions are not only coming to pass, but they've even gone one gayer, with the commissioning of Brokeback—The Opera:

 

New York City Opera has commissioned Charles Wuorinen to compose an opera based on Annie Proulx's short story "Brokeback Mountain," which was adapted into the 2005 film.

Slated to premiere in the 2013 spring season, the work will be Pulitzer-winning composer Wuorinen's second commission for City Opera, following the 2004 premiere of "Haroun and the Sea of Stories," based on the Salman Rushdie novel.

While five years seems practically an eternity to wait for Jack Twist's angelic tenor and Ennis del Mar's more dominant baritone to serenade us with such masterful arias as, "You Know I Ain't Queer (Me Neither)," "You Need to Shut Your Slop-Bucket Mouths, You Hear Me?," and "Up On Brokeback Mountain," we'd remind you that great art is always a time-consuming process. It will all be worth it when we're finally seated in the audience on the night of the work's world premiere, experiencing the full fury of a 300-person choir singing the "Carmina Burana"-esque climax accompanying Ennis's fateful first "taking" of Jack in their hillside pup-tent.

• 'Brokeback Mountain' takes to stage [Variety]

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