Fashion designer Jonathan Anderson and cabaret luminary Justin Vivian Bond come together in a striking new collaboration for the world premiere of Complications in Sue, a bold opera debuting this week at Opera Philadelphia’s historic Academy of Music.

Structured as ten vignettes, each tracing a decade in the life of its titular character, the opera reimagines the operatic form with a contemporary sensibility. Bond, who conceived the narrative and inhabits the central role, is joined by Pulitzer and Tony Award–winning playwright Michael R. Jackson, who crafted the libretto, and directors Zack Winokur and Raja Feather Kelly, whose staging fuses theatricality with fluid movement. The score, composed by a diverse ensemble including Missy Mazzoli, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Nico Muhly, brings a kaleidoscope of musical textures to each scene.

At the heart of this collaboration are Anderson’s costumes, which imbue the production with his signature vision, where fashion meets performance in exuberant, unexpected ways. His long-standing creative rapport with Bond, who has often served as muse and collaborator across fashion and performance, infuses the work with intimacy and flair.

Complications in Sue exemplifies the porous boundaries between contemporary fashion and the performing arts, reminding us that the stage can be as much a canvas as a runway, and that collaborative creativity often thrives where disciplines intersect.