Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "While some people think the arts are too serious, Undercroft Opera is having too much fun preparing a classic opera to worry about such misconceptions.
The company, whose slogan is 'Everyone Deserves an Operatunity,' features mainly young local singers. Its new staging moves a comic opera from its original setting in rural 19th-century Italy to contemporary Hollywood, creating the potential for a lot more laughs."
1 comment:
Perhaps the arts should be more serious. The Undercroft Opera performance of Elixir of Love was a total hack job. Poor translations, cheesy sets, and a chorus of people who barely knew which way was up was what made up this performance.
I love opera, and I'll give an amateur company such as Undercroft the benefit of the doubt b/c they obviously lack funds and rely on volunteer performers. Their primary singers were quite good (although they seemed to be singing out of range here and there) but the ill conceived idea of doing it as a hollywood premiere and the poorly rehearsed chorus detracted from their performance.
Undercroft should perhaps stick to something simpler, short vignettes and music that is less challenging. Also, they should go with a concept that involves minimal decor instead of opting for cheesy cardboard sets that belong in a Middle school play (Most High School plays have better sets).
They have potential. They just haven't reached it yet.
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