Certainly an unexpected headline, but it appears Smashing Pumpkins figurehead Billy Corgan will be working alongside the Lyric Opera of Chicago to transform the band's landmark double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness into an opera. When it released thirty years ago, it topped the Billboard 200, becoming their most successful album yet. It gave us iconic setlist staples like "1979" and "Tonight, Tonight".

A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness will be a limited run for seven shows between November 21 and 30, and will see Corgan, the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus, and special guests turning the album into a full visual and audio experience. James Lowe and Corgan have created brand new arrangements, with Lowe conducting the performances.

Tickets go on sale April 11th here.

Corgan on the adaptation:

It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Magnum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric’s full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways. Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work. For the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way.

Magnum, the head of Lyric, had this to say:

Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences. I’m just as excited about the special performances like A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness that open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be. The season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work that can only happen in Chicago.