My sister got a Groupon coupon to see Die Fledermaus -- a comedic opera -- for this weekend. The performance was by Center Stage Opera, at the Madrid Theatre in Canoga Park, California. I was excited because one of the arias I'm learning right now is in this opera. Other than that, we had no idea what to expect; we have never seen any performance at this theatre.
The performance we saw last night was quite enjoyable, and I thought a way to make operas engaging for today's audience. The entire opera was in English. Recitatives were not sung -- only major arias were sung. Dialogues and lyrics were changed for more modern setting (like reference to TV show). In short, the opera was fun and engaging. My sister who doesn't like classical music and opera was laughing throughout the opera and thought it was well done to engage audience to the opera.
The quality of musicianship was a bit uneven -- orchestra needed more practice. The two lead ladies singing sopranos -- Katharine Gunnink and Jennie Lister were absolutely amazing. When Ms. Gunnink was singing, unfortunately, male singers seemed as if they weren't singing. And Ms. Lister's high D's (that's above high C above staff!) shimmered brilliantly and effortlessly.
If operas could be changed to such format, I can see younger generation (kids and young adults) could find operas actually fun and not see it as just as "culture." Who knows? Young people may even choose it over movies, video games, or .. Farmville! The point is, opera, should be a living art. And I thought Center Stage Opera found a way to make a favorite opera relevant to today's world... and hope it continues to find new ways to make operas relevant.
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