Another opera closes. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: it’s bittersweet. It’s nice to return to a more normal schedule…but there are no robo-makeovers in my normal schedule (which makes me sad).
I’ve had a blast doing this blog – I hope you’ve enjoyed it, as well. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on the blog experience. What did you like? What do you want to see more of? I’m doing this for you, dear readers. I’m like your tour guide backstage. If you’re not seeing the things you want to see, then I don’t feel I’ve done the best job I can. So drop me a line at ariagirl@operacolorado.org or comment right here on the blog and let me know what you think.
Meanwhile, I’ll be taking a brief break and will be handing the blog off to some special guest bloggers – stay tuned to read what they have to say. Look for me again at the beginning of the year to report on The Barber of Seville!
Saw it. Loved it. Had to pick my eyes up from the floor when they kept popping out (sorry to the people behind me.) I’m not an opera singer…or professor of opera…I’m just a girl who enjoys a good production. Which is what The Tales of Hoffmann was.
But what about you, dear readers? I know you’re out there – people tell me they enjoy the blog. (That’s a strange experience, let me tell you.) If you’ve seen the opera, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you haven’t but want to comment anyway, let me know what you’re excited about, or looking forward to.
You can comment anonymously, but if you’d rather send me a private note, you can drop me a line at ariagirl@operacolorado.org.
Saturday was Opening Night. The glitz, the glamour, the inevitable mishaps that comes when putting on a production. As director Renaud Doucet said, “With everything that goes on, it’s a miracle the whole thing comes together.” But nothing major went wrong and it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves.
I spent most of my time in the front of the house with Boss-Man, but snuck backstage to check out the goings-on. I ran into a couple of the Young Artists who were in the first act and went to see Ronell and Sarah of Awesome Wig and Make-up Fame. They were currently working on Pam Armstrong and Josie Noble, one of the chorus women who plays the Madam in the Giulietta act. They teased me for a bit about not having seen the whole opera yet (I’m going tonight, I promise!). And Pam proved her superhero nature once again by offering to babysit for Ronell’s little girl if needed. (Pam says anyone would have done it. Readers will note that I didn’t offer.)
Us girls giggled and laughed until the singers had to skedaddle to get ready. Then William Caulkins, one of the child supers who plays the Blind Boy, came in to get ready. If you’ve seen the show, you’ve seen William – he comes in with Coppélius in the Olympia Act. William has some of the most dramatic make-up in the show: he’s made completely bald with a small black ponytail and sunglasses. The costume is crazy, too – like the old-school bouncing clowns that you could hit and it would right itself again. I'm looking forward to seeing it all in its entirety - tonight!
You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. Your eyes will pop out of your head, roll under your chair, and bump the shoes of the person behind you. This will all happen when you watch The Tales of Hoffmann. I promise.
So I was at the final dress rehearsal last night – lots of middle and high school kids and a few other folks got to experience it – and I was shooting audience reaction shots during the intermissions. And I tell you, these folks were happy campers.
I myself got to see the Olympia scene – I had no idea Pam Armstrong was such a gifted comic actress. A superhero, yes. But that girl is funny.
I didn’t get to see the Antonia and Giulietta scenes, but I’ve no doubt from what I could hear in the lobby that they’re as visually stunning as the first one. Plus those scenes are a little more intense, so if you like your opera with a side of heart-wrenching emotion, you won’t be disappointed.
What was interesting to me were the little touches in the staging. For example, at one point Olympia is doing the can-can. Little-known fact: Offenbach wrote the music most people associate with the can-can for one of his other operas. So it’s neat to have those little bits of trivia – and something I hope you guys are getting from me!
I’ll be in the lobby on Saturday – come say hi. See you next week!
Have you ever been filled with so much awesomeness that you can’t stand it? Today was my Robo-Makeover – the day I got to be transformed into the Olympia doll!
I adore our wig and makeup ladies: Ronell Oliveri, our Emmy-nominated Wig and Makeup Designer and Sarah Opstad, our Associate Wig and Makeup Coordinator. (Curious about how our wigs are made? Read the entry from The Pearl Fishers blog.) Not only were they as psyched to make me over as I was, but they’re really helpful. AND they let me videotape it!
The process was both more and less complicated than I expected. First Sarah pincurled my hair and fitted me with a stocking cap. Then she put the gold makeup on the lower half of my face and painted my lips with a bronze color. (The makeup is a brand called Krylon Aqua Color – just in case anyone wants to replicate the Olympia look.) Then she put the headpiece on my head, pinned it, and Velcroed the gold mask to the headpiece.
It seems simple, but I was immediately struck by a few things. One, gold is surprisingly my color. Two, Pam Armstrong is a superhero. She must be, to wear the headpiece (which was pretty bulky and heavier than I expected) and the outrageous doll costume. Don’t get me wrong – I would steal that green dress in a heartbeat. It’s gorgeous. But the skirt is four feet wide! I didn’t even put on the dress and still had new appreciation for what Pam has to go through. The mask also has these gigantic fake eyelashes, which look really cool, but took some getting used to. I can’t imagine wearing all that AND acting AND singing. Ergo: Pam is a superhero.
Once we finished the video, Ronell helped me take the wig and mask off and I proceeded to scrub off the makeup. Since Pam will be playing four different characters, she has four different sessions in the makeup chair – in one night! So she has to get made up like Olympia, scrub it all off, get made up like Antonia, scrub it all off, get made up like Giulietta, scrub it all off, and get made up like Stella, and scrub it all off. Whew!
I found out this show has the longest run sheet of almost any opera we’ve ever done. What’s a run sheet, you say? Excellent question! A run sheet gives the production cues. A wig and makeup run sheet, for example, lets the wig and makeup gals know who needs to look like what and when. The run sheet for this show is 37 pages! To put that into perspective, the run sheet for The Pearl Fishers was only 4 pages. Not only is there a large cast, but there are several cases of multiple roles per artist, so the cast goes through a lot of makeup and time.
But it’s all worth it on Opening Night to see everyone’s jaws drop. I can’t wait.
And if you can’t wait to see my transformation, check out the video:
See you next Friday – you’ll get to hear all about the final dress rehearsal!
Opera fans are dedicated. Especially the 30-some people who braved the snow and ice of Wednesday to come to “Meet the Artists” at Tattered Cover. In attendance were singers Julian Gavin, Pam Armstrong and Gaétan Laperrière along with stage director Renaud Doucet and conductor Emmanuel Joel-Hornak. Director of Artistic Planning Brad Trexell moderated (since General Director Greg Carpenter has been out sick.)
It was another lovely afternoon of listening to the artists – both their answers and voices. We even had a guest ask Renaud another question because “she wanted to hear more of his [French] accent.”
Highlights included:
-A discussion of just how difficult this opera is to produce (the answer: VERY difficult!) Director Renaud Doucet explained that since Offenbach died before completing the score…and pages of his original notes are still being found…and there are quite a few “alternate versions” to certain scenes…and there are different musical versions of certain pieces…not to mention that companies have to decide whether they’re going to perform the opera with the spoken dialogue or the recitative….it’s amazing that any opera company even does this opera at all. (Though I’m glad we are!)
-Learning from the Maestro and director how much of this opera isn’t from this opera at all! The Barcarolle, that heart-tugging duet between Nicklausse and Giulietta, was originally written for Offenbach’s Les fées du Rhin (The Water Nymphs). Additionally, Dapertutto’s aria “Scintille, diamant,” was based on a tune from the overture for Offenbach’s operetta Journey to the Moon.
-Pam explaining that while singing three roles (and performing the role of Stella) is vocally challenging, it’s emotionally challenging, as well. The women are so different – Olympia is an empty-headed doll, Antonia is a genuinely sweet girl, and Giulietta is a two-faced manipulator – that it’s a challenge to go to those extremes all in just three hours.
-Hearing about the importance of Stella – a main character in her own right, but who is often overlooked. Maestro Joel-Hornak even noted that in some productions Stella does not even get her few lines at the end of the opera, but that those are sometimes given to Hoffmann to say. Certainly Stella’s actual role in the opera is smaller than her counterparts. “At the end of the opera, the diva does not even get to sing,” said the Maestro. “This may have been a final joke on the part of Offenbach.”
There were so many other wonderful discussions and ideas shared by the artists. It’s always rewarding to hear from the artists their thoughts and perspectives on a work. If you’ve never been out to a Meet the Artists panel, I encourage you to come. (And if the weather prevented you from making it out, I encourage you to come to the pre-opera talk. It’s free to all ticket holders and is held one hour before curtain time in the parterre.)
So last week, I was a rockstar behind the videocamera. A week ago on Saturday morning, Boss-Man and I were at the warehouse for a chorus rehearsal and an interview with director Renaud Doucet. When we got there, he and set/costume designer André Barbe were going through the production with the chorus.
Normally the staging rehearsals are done downtown. But scheduling difficulties meant finding a new space. So until we load in to the Ellie, the artists are down at the warehouse, which is actually really cool. The set is partially put together so the cast can see where they need to be in relation to the set pieces. They were rehearsing the Olympia scene, so a couple of cast members – including some of our own Young Artists – were wearing robot arms to get used to the movements. All in all, it was fun to watch. Plus I got to take pictures in the costume shop - and we all know how much I love costumes!
So I took plenty of pictures and edited the video of Renaud’s interview. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I’m no Spielberg, but I think I did all right.
See you next Thursday! I’ll report on tomorrow’s Meet the Artists (Noon. Tattered Cover LoDo. See you there!).
Another opera closes. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: it’s bittersweet. It’s nice to return to a more normal schedule…but there are no robo-makeovers in my normal schedule (which makes me sad). 
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