On January 19th 2017, the University of Miami’s Henry Manscini Orchestra played the soundtrack of the political drama House of Cards a day before the inauguration of Donald Trump, here is my experience. *Spoilers ahead*.

The Miami air is unusually cool this evening. A hearty number are walking into the Adrienne Arsht Center and filling the seats of the Knight Concert Hall. The reason for congregation this evening is the smash hit Netflix series House of Cards. No, Spacey and Wright are nowhere to be found, at least in the flesh. Their images are plastered on a projection on stage in a slideshow with the title card House of Cards In Concert.

The music of the critically-acclaimed series will be played by the University of Miami’s Henry Manscini Orchestra, who arguably are some of the best musicians in the world. Tonight, they are under the baton of Jeff Beal. The composer of the show’s soundtrack.

The theatre is dark now, a crowd mixed with die-hard fans, part-time binge watchers, and patrons of the arts wait for the massive amount of talent on stage to engage.

With a flick of the baton the infamous theme song trudges along inevitably but no one is in their underwear and loathing themselves as they once again pressed “Are you still watching”, for the third time today. Instead, the iconic footage flashes across the projection reminding everyone of the impending transfer of power about to take place in a matter of hours.

Familiar staccatos from muted trumpets penetrate the air as hurried strings announce the anticipated footsteps of Frank Underwood and the rest of Washington D.C. The disembodied operatic bellow at the end of the theme which at home simply signals the beginning of the next episode is replaced by the visual of Joan Beal (Jeff’s wife) appearing from a balcony and filling the concert hall. She is a vision of elegance, covered in a dripping slate-blue garb that shines as brightly as her high register soprano.

This. This is House of Cards In Concert.

Beal explains that no spoilers will flash on the screen for the uncommitted watchers of the show. Instead the visual presentation is a mashup of all of the shows greatest moments meant to reiterate the characters and themes presented in song. The result is an artistic “fever dream” that discusses the themes of power, dignity, and betrayal all in an innovative mix of old and new mediums.

Kevin Spacey’s bulldog exterior fills the screen as Beal’s next aural exploration entitled “Forward March” plays on.