“The hit of the entire program was clearly Why I Live at the P.O., which enchanted the audience and was so obviously enjoyed by the singers. Composer Stephen Eddins and co-librettist Michael O’Brien managed the nearly impossible task of setting [the story] as an opera while keeping Welty’s charm… Eddins’ music is based on the big band style of the era and is every bit as clever as Welty’s prose.”

— Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, TheaterJones

“Stephen Eddins’ Why I Live at the P.O., a comic-operatic treatment of Eudora Welty’s celebrated short story… was clearly the hit of the entire Frontiers showcase. This story has defied (and even scared off) attempts at adaptation before, simply because it’s so hard to find a way to tell it that is any more dramatic — or, for that matter, musical — than simply reading it aloud.  Eddins and his librettist, Michael O’Brien, hit on the brilliant solution of retaining Welty’s voice by making Sister both the narrator and an active participant in the opera, dividing her duties between two singers. With like felicity, Eddins found a jazz-flavored musical language that fits the dramatic setting and situation and is fun to listen to… Why I Live at the P.O. is ready to roll, just about a guaranteed hit for any company that produces it.”

— William V. Madison, Billvesées