10
July 2018
Valley Voice
Opera Steamboat
Not Your Grandmother’s Opera By Melissa Hampton
B Y M I LT O N G R A N G E R AU G U ST 1 -3 + 6
BY MOZART AU G U ST 9
BY JA N ÁC E K AU G U ST 1 0,1 1
Tickets available at: operasteamboat.org or at All That (601 Lincoln Ave.)
A production of Cinderella for elementary school students as part of Opera Steamboat’s “Opera in the Schools” program
Yampa, Colorado
Gateway to the Flat Tops
Dinner 5pm Wednesday - Sunday Reservations Accepted for parties of 6 or more
Open Mic Tuesdays Great Food! Cold Beer! Bar 3pm Everyday antlerscafeandbar.com
1125 Lincoln Steamboat Springs, Colorado
What do A Sensuous Woman, The Statue of Liberty, and Mother Teresa have in common? Answer: they are all characters in “The Proposal,” one of three productions in Opera Steamboat’s 2018 Summer Festival. The quirky cast isn’t the only surprise: this production is rated PG-13 due to adult themes, and is only forty minutes long! Another opera in the Festival involves a bad-boyladies-man who gets brought down by a ghost, while the third opera, also a “mini” opera, revolves around the simultaneous love stories of two foxes and several humans. Intrigued? I hope so. I’m here to blow your mind about what opera is and can be! Back to our damsel-in-engagement-distress in The Proposal. In this hilarious plot, a young woman can’t make up her mind about her fiancé’s proposal. To help her decide, five alter egos show up, performed by other singers as voices in her head. In addition to the Sensuous Woman and friends, two more cast members join in: the Security Officer and the Five-Year-Old. Whose advice prevails? Come see the show! The Proposal plays at the Chief Theater (August 1 and 6), the Art Depot (August 2), and the Bud Werner Library (August 3). For tickets go to: operasteamboat.org. Are you surprised that advice-giving alter egos could be the subject of an opera plot? If you said “yes,” you’re going to love The Cunning Little Vixen, our family friendly opera. Vixen refers to a savvy little fox and her encounters with a cute boy fox and four rowdy male humans. In just seventy-five minutes, this story spins a tale about a hapless hunter, a love-sick school teacher, a preacher with romantic inclinations and a wicked guy who gets the girl (darn
For those who live here and for those who wish they did.
it!). The Cunning Little Vixen is based on a Czech fairy tale and, as is often the case with fairy tales, has a dark twist when the lives of the hapless hunter and the little vixen collide one fateful day in the forest. It is a morality tale sure to provide lively discussion at the dinner table. Not your grandmother’s opera? Well, if you feel like you can handle opinionated alter egos and foxy love stories, then you are READY for a BAHO (Big Awesome Hairy Opera). Mozart’s masterpiece, Don Giovanni, is Opera Steamboat’s featured production, and it’s here for ONE NIGHT ONLY (August 9th at Strings Pavilion). This one has it all: lights, music, action, beautiful costumes, sets, singing…and a wickedly delicious plot of murder and mayhem. Don Giovanni is a bad boy with a thing for the ladies. His fickleness leads him into a confrontation with the father of one of his conquests and…a murder occurs. The womanizing continues, the ghost of the dead father demands Don Giovanni repent…he doesn’t … and consequently gets dragged to Hades. Whew. Granny would be fanning herself by now (be sure to bring her, by the way). All this talk of steamy marriage proposals, foxy morality tales and a ghost might have you re-thinking your impressions of opera. At least I hope so! You also might be wondering whether you should bring the kids and grandkids, or leave them at home? The truth is, they may “get” opera better than you do, thanks to Opera Steamboat’s Education and Outreach programs. Each year, Opera Steamboat visits public schools in Routt and Moffat counties, bringing opera to more than 1,000 school students. These performances plant the seed of opera love into audiences of the future with fun and flashy performances held in school gyms and auditoriums. The students get the whole shebang: costumes, sets, drama,