Displaying items by tag: Jacques Offenbach
Great Lakes Operetta presents Orpheus in the Underworld at Bramble Arts Loft July 10-19
Great Lakes Operetta is delighted to present its first full-length, fully-staged operetta, Jacques Offenbach’s seminal work, Orpheus in the Underworld!
Originally premiering as Orphée aux enfers, this musical spoof of the Orpheus myth was the Hadestown of 1858’s Paris and had a cultural impact comparable to Hamilton or Phantom of the Opera. It is often considered the first operetta and inspired many other composers, most notably Johann Strauss Jr. The original book was written in part by Ludovic Halévy, of Carmen fame, and the score introduced the now world-famous “can-can” (known in the show as the “Infernal Gallop”). The show is raucous, wacky, and surprisingly modern, and the score is one of Offenbach’s best, ensuring its continued popularity.
Orpheus was initially controversial: in this version, Orpheus and Eurydice can’t stand each other and there is no moral redemption for anyone (although there is a singing bug, pictured below). Offenbach actively lampoons the tropes of classicism – both the original Greek myths and the revered operatic versions of those myths, such as Gluck’s Orfeo (which is even quoted musically in a very meta moment). Critics of the day felt Offenbach was disrespecting the Arts and Culture of the past – among other things – but Parisian audiences couldn’t get enough and allegedly the show only closed after running for 2 years straight (unheard of at the time) because the cast was exhausted.
20 years later, Offenbach released what might now be called a “Special Edition” version, turning the original 2 act show into a 4 act extravaganza with multiple new ballet numbers, more characters, and special effects. Most modern productions, including Great Lakes Operetta’s version, are 2 act versions with some elements of the 1874 production retained.
Great Lakes Operetta’s production will be in a new (premiere) English translation by Francis Lynch, who has translated three other French operetta works for Evanston Chamber Opera. The production will be directed by GLO Artistic Director SarahAnn Sutter, music directed by Lindsey Baer, assistant music directed by Anna Therese George, and produced by Kristin Weed. The production will be fully staged and presented with a small chamber ensemble. Tickets are on sale now and are available here; tickets will also be available at the door (while supply lasts).
Cast & Creative Team
Great Lakes Operetta’s Orpheus in the Underworld is presented by two outstanding casts, as follows. Whichever cast you choose to watch, you are in for a treat! (And you might enjoy it all so much that you come back to watch the other cast!)
Orpheus: Mason Montuoro (All dates)
Eurydice: Gabrielle Goudard (July 11, 17, 19); Gabrielle Haigh (July 10, 12, 18)
Public Opinion: Jennifer Barrett (July 11, 17, 19); Isabella Daltoso (July 10, 12, 18)
John Styx: Solamada Pando Girard (All dates)
Pluto: Jonathon Joseph Larson (July 11, 17, 19); Sasha Tomasevich (July 10, 12, 18)
Jupiter: Alexander Quackenbush (All dates)
Diana: Halle Rosemond (July 11, 17, 19); Catherine Larson (July 10, 12, 18)
Cupid: Hillary Esqueda (July 11, 17, 19); Abigail Greer Arcomona (July 10, 12, 18)
Venus: Alexandra Kassouf (July 11, 17, 19); Val Beck (July 10, 12, 18)
Mercury: Kristin Weed (July 11, 17, 19); Kelly Killorin (July 10, 12, 18)
Minerva: Allison Mann (July 10, 11, 12); Eugenia Bouboudakis (July 17, 18, 19);
Juno: Katarina Bakas (All dates)
Mars: Jonathan Rodney (All dates)
Bacchus: Lucas Gassmann (All dates)
Vesta: Solamada Pando Girard (All dates)
Location
Great Lakes Operetta is proud to present its first full-length, fully-staged production on the stage of the Beatrice Theatre at the beautiful Bramble Arts Loft in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. Located on the second floor the historic Capital Garage building (with an ADA-accessible elevator!), this lovely, intimate space is one of Chicago’s newest performing arts venues.
For tickets, click here.
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