Oy, Kiddies. Have I got a treat for you. If you are still scratching your head for Valentine's Day plans, may I suggest the Opera Theatre Oregon Opera Cinema production of Carmen. $12 advance or $15 at the door.
I'm usually terrible at marketing the arts that make my heart thump so giddily in my chest. Sadly, I usually follow the "serious" theatre sheep of the cliff and dismiss the opera folk as irrelevant. I find the whole speech-to-song thread a tid bit troubling. I get concerned when spectacle and/or vocal talent trumps a viable storyline. But, since an accidental enrollment in an opera appreciation course, I've had a soft spot for the really murky opera stuffs (like Wagner's Tristan und Isolde). For many years prior, I've been singing fake opera in my shower to the chagrin of my neighbors. Let me tell you, I do a quite rousing rendition of a handful of operatic pop songs.
OTO presents Carmen combines the Cecil B. DeVille silent film with the Bizet opera of the same name. Somehow this provides a wonderful balance of two oft dismissed campy relics. Indeed, many laughs are at the expense of the DeVille classic, and the sing-a-long plays like a staged reading sans the yawns and the eyes rolling towards the exits. Rich vocals from Beth Madsen Bradford provides a lush soundscape for the pre-talkie cinematics. The piano and sound effects provide a glimmer of the bygone era of silent film.
Through 2/14 at the Someday Lounge: 125 NW 5th Ave (@ NW Davis).
3 comments:
p.s. I should note that this is not an actual audience participation sing-a-long. They've hired professionals to do the dirty work for you, so the pressure's off.
There was this period of time in high school when I was known among my peeps as a great "fake opera" singer. Very fun stuff. My most poignant fake opera moment involved singing a rousing aria-esque version of "Like a Virgin" in a hotel hallway in Moscow in 1990. Good times, good times. -Kelly
Ha! I'm going to have to brush up on "Like A Virgin" for the shower. That's a good one, and Chaka Khan is wearing thin.
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