Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
If you’re a fan of opera, this release is not for you because you already have tickets for Nov. 26, when the Garde hosts an in-the-round production of Pagliacci in our historic lobby.
But maybe you don’t like opera — unless it’s got a phantom in it or was composed by Pete Townshend and is titled Tommy.
We get it!
Classic opera can seem intimidating and highbrow and, after all, you made a C in high school Italian and won’t understand it, anyway.
Here’s the thing: you need to experience an opera at least once. Opera is a magnificent art form and can be transcendent. If nothing else, you’ll walk out of Pagliacci thinking, “I’m not sure opera’s for me, but that was pretty amazing.”
And don’t be intimidated by all the other ticket-holders, many of whom will be wandering around the Garde lobby looking pleased with themselves — as though they just had dinner with Mozart and Pavarotti. There will be plenty of other folks just like me — a guy who thinks Barney Fife is the premier philosopher of the 20th century. Because I’ve figured out that, frankly, opera is pretty cool.
Finally, here’s a short cheater’s guide to phraseology and lexicon, so you can feel comfortable chatting people up on the night of the performance — like you just had dinner with Mozart and Pavarotti. Don’t worry about what any of it means. Just toss one or two of these lines out, wink, and head for the concessions and a glass of vino.
- “I love this opera. In my opinion, if you’re a tenor, ‘Vesti la giubba’ is sorta the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ of arias.”
- “Did you ever see a picture of (Pagliacci composer Ruggero) Leoncavallo? That dude put the ‘handlebar’ in mustache, didn’t he?”
- “I was talking to (the Garde’s) Steve and Jeanne (Sigel) and I think I persuaded them, in the next few seasons, to book a presentation of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Il crociato in Egitto. It just doesn’t get enough love.”
- “This is the opera that has ‘Pinball Wizard,’ right?”
Book tickets now! They’re going fast.