An Inventor, a Rock Opera, and a Bold St. Louis Premiere
June 20, Mark and John Rodgers’ world-premiere “Nikola Tesla: Light It Up” brought a visionary inventor’s life to the Delmar Hall stage through music, multimedia and considerable ambition.
CB Adams Jun 21, 2026
Photo by Tracy Riggs Photography, used by permission.
World premieres are rare. Original works created and premiered in St. Louis are rarer still. That alone made “Nikola Tesla: Light It Up” worth attention.
St. Louis natives Mark and John Rodgers unveiled their multimedia rock opera at Delmar Hall on June 20, tracing Tesla’s life through 13 original songs, projections and a live performance by the Jason Nelson Band. The production followed “The DaVinci Michelangelo Experience,” the brothers’ multimedia theatrical work that toured for a decade and played more than 100 performances Off-Broadway. Together, the two projects revealed a fascination with creative figures whose work changed how people saw the world.
Though billed as a rock opera, “Nikola Tesla: Light It Up” established its own terms. Part concert, part multimedia presentation and part biographical storytelling, the production never seemed concerned with fitting neatly into a theatrical category. Delmar Hall proved an ideal setting, and audience members responded as concertgoers, applauding songs and instrumental solos throughout the evening. Musically, the production landed somewhere in the vicinity of classic rock opera, the arena-scale theatricality of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the grand storytelling associated with Jim Steinman.
The Rodgers brothers compressed Tesla’s remarkable life into songs dense with historical references and allusions. Their focus extended beyond inventions to the man behind them, following Tesla through periods of discovery, ambition, frustration and achievement.
Photo by Tracy Riggs Photography, used by permission.
Some of the evening’s success rested with the Jason Nelson Band, an ensemble many local audiences know through tribute performances celebrating Queen, Sting and Talking Heads. Nelson, joined by Alonzo Jamison (drums), Rich Mendoza (bass), Austin Sprague (guitar), Charlie Brown (keyboards), Stacey Rios (cello and vocals) and Mark Hochberg (violin), proved more than capable of carrying the demanding score. The occasional glance toward lyric monitors reminded audiences they were witnessing a world premiere rather than a work refined through multiple productions, but it never diminished the conviction or musicianship on display.
The projections amplified the storytelling through animation, AI-generated imagery and music-video-style visuals that helped convey the story the Rodgers brothers wanted to tell.
The production’s ambitions occasionally exceeded its running time. Tesla’s life contained more story than 13 songs could comfortably hold, leaving a few narrative gaps along the way. Even so, “Nikola Tesla: Light It Up” delivered an intriguing, impressively performed and admirably creative evening. The Rodgers brothers have not announced future performances, but this world premiere suggested a work with room to grow. Should “Nikola Tesla: Light It Up” return to a St. Louis stage, audiences would have good reason to seek it out.
“Nikola Tesla: Light It Up” received its world premiere June 20 at Delmar Hall.