Tickets now on sale for Petite Opera BARBER OF SEVILLE

Tickets now on sale for Petite Opera BARBER OF SEVILLE

Rossini (Edward Kuffert, left) and Figaro (Gabriel DiGennaro, right)
prepare to accept a new customer for a shave,
as they talk up Petite Opera's Barber of Seville
November 4-19, 2017 in Park Ridge.

Tickets are now on sale for Petite Opera's November 4-19, 2017 production of Barber of Seville.  Don't miss this comic must-see production, translated into English so comedy prevails!

This new production, featuring the ever-loving Figaro, exchanges the traditional recitatives with comic dialogue, and adds a new twist: the composer, Gioacchino Rossini, is a new character in the show. He inserts himself into the production and acts as a type of MC to add color commentary, introducing the scenes and characters to the audience. Not to be missed!

Buy your tickets online via credit card at www.petiteopera.tix.com, or place a reservation for cash or check payment: Phone 847.553.4442 or Email tickets@petiteopera.org.  We'll see you at the show!

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Tickets are $27 for Adults (ages 18-61)
$25 for Seniors (age 62 and up)
$15 for Students (K through College, with ID)
$5 for Children ages 5 and under
To reserve your tickets for payment by cash or check at Box Office on performance date:

Call 847-553-4442 or email tickets@petiteopera.org. 

For credit card orders, visit our http://petiteopera.tix.com.  

Please note: reservations and Credit Card orders accepted up to 4 hours prior to show time.  

A convenience fee is applied to all credit card orders at checkout.

LOCATION:
Mary Wilson House Beyer Auditorium
part of St. Mary's Episcopal church campus
306 S Prospect Avenue (at Crescent Ave)
Park Ridge, IL 60068

Petite Opera announces cast for BARBER OF SEVILLE

November 4-5, 10-12, 17-19, 2017

Petite Opera announces the cast of its upcoming Barber of Seville, running November 4-19, 2017. This new, unique version of the production is performed in English, and features Gioacchino Rossini in the role of M.C. and puppet master as he brings his production to life. Not to be missed!
Hold the dates now!

                                         CAST

Gioacchino Rossini:
Edward Kuffert

Rosina: Kaitlin Galetti,
Liana Gineitis

Count Almaviva: Max Hosmer,
Brett Potts

Figaro: Johnny Boehlefeld,
Gabriel diGennaro

Bartolo: Eric McConnell,
Ivo Suarez

Basilio: Jess Koehn
Berta: Emily Cox

ARTISTIC TEAM

Stage Director:  Michael Kotze

Music Director:  Cody Michael Bradley

Director of Production:  Steven Arvanites

Stage Manager:  Nicole Verive

Costume Designer:  Sienna Kusek

Lighting Designer:  Betsy Sklena

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Tickets are $27 for Adults (ages 18-61)
$25 for Seniors (age 62 and up)
$15 for Students (K through College, with ID)
$5 for Children ages 5 and under
To reserve your tickets for payment by cash or check at Box Office on performance date:

Call 847-553-4442 or email tickets@petiteopera.org. 

For credit card orders, visit our http://petiteopera.tix.com.  

Please note: reservations and Credit Card orders accepted up to 4 hours prior to show time.  

A convenience fee is applied to all credit card orders at checkout.

LOCATION:
Mary Wilson House Beyer Auditorium
part of St. Mary's Episcopal church campus
306 S Prospect Avenue (at Crescent Ave)
Park Ridge, IL 60068

Petite Opera brings SNOOPY!!! to Park Ridge Apr 25-May 4

Petite Opera is nutty for Peanuts! 

Petite Opera presents its first musical theatre production, SNOOPY!!! April 25-May 4, 2014. Based on the Charles M Schulz Peanuts cartoon strip, the show focuses on the world according to Snoopy, as well as his friends Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Peppermint Patty and Woodstock.

Written in the same musical style as You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, the music is catchy and fun.  The stories are compiled from the various Peanuts comic stirps into a cohesive story that takes a closer look at the world through Snoopy's eyes, his beginnings at the puppy farm, views of doing "doggy tricks" and attempts to write the great American novel.  It also follows the Peanuts child characters in their discovery and interpretation of their world as they grow up.

SNOOPY!!! is a delightful work that is suitable for all ages.  
Running time, including intermission is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Don't miss our favorite beagle, Snoopy, with all of his friends!  Take the night (or afternoon) off, and relive old memories--or make new ones--with the Peanuts characters. Connect with Petite Opera's through song, dance, and dialogue in a classic acoustically trained style--without microphones.

Plan now to catch one of only six performances:

Fridays at 7:30 PM:  April 25, May 2

Saturdays at 7:30 PM:   April 26, May 3

Sundays at 4:00 PM: April 27, May 4

CAST

SNOOPY - Matthieu Peterson

CHARLIE BROWN - Austin Illenberg

PEPPERMINT PATTY - Katherine Dalin

LUCY - Rena Ahmed

LINUS - Brandon Wilhelm

SALLY - Helen Knudsen

WOODSTOCK - Caroline Zavislak

STAFF

Direction of Production:  Steven Arvanites

Stage Director:  Cathy Dunn

Assistant Director/Stage Manager:  Carolyn Kocsis

Musical Director:  Alexius McCauley

Choreographers:  Susan Baushke, Carolyn Kocsis

Set Design:  David Carmona

Costume Design:  Sienna Kusek

Props:  Mary Govertsen

Lighting:  Betsy Sklena, Greykell Dutton

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Petite Opera performs SNOOPY!!! the musical April 25-27, May 2-4, 2014 at Mary Wilson House Beyer Auditorium, part of St. Mary's Episcopal Church campus, 306 S Prospect Ave at Crescent Ave (enter on Crescent Ave), Park Ridge, IL.  Call 847-553-4442 to reserve tickets, or purchase tickets online via credit card (convenience charges apply to credit card orders). 

Petite Opera is a professional 501c3 opera company

MadMen Meets Mozart: the making of a Petite Opera Chicago Premiere of COSI FAN TUTTE

Petite Opera, which caters to patrons seeing their first opera, hit the bullseye in selecting its upcoming production--Cosi fan tutte (Everyone is Just the Same).  Not only is this updated version hysterically funny, and the perfect introduction to opera for newcomers, it is all about Chicago:

• A Chicago Premiere
• a new libretto written by Dimitri Toscas, who hails from Chicagoland
• set in a 1959 Chicago advertising agency
• Starring performers who reside in Chicago

Audiences are in for sheer madcap fun with this updated Cosi fan tutte. Dimitri Toscas' new libretto is nothing short of brilliant.

The Original Story
Written by Mozart in 1790, Cosi fan tutte is a comedy that centers around a bet on fidelity made by the three male characters.  The driving force of the bet is Don Alfonso (bass-baritone), a man who is cynical that any woman can be faithful.  He bets two soliders, Guglielmo (baritone) and Ferrando (tenor) that their girlfriends--sisters Fiordiligi (soprano) and Dorabella (mezzo)--will not stay faithful to them if the guys leave town for even a day.  The guys take the bet, believing their girls will never stray, and come back in disguise to woo the girls as completely different characters.  Alfonso works his scheme aided by the girls' maid, Despina (soprano). Unknowingly, the girls fall for the switch, and fall for the "new man".

The Making of the Chicago Premiere 
Creating a Chicago Premiere involves some careful selection to make certain the "recipe" is just right.

• the right version
• the right time period
• the right location
• visionary director and creative team
• the perfect cast
• allowing the comedy to live and take hold

STEP 1:  Select the right version for your audience
"The original Mozart/Da Ponte opera is wonderfully written, the interplay and music are fantastic, and it utilizes a small ensemble cast, which is in line with our "petite" mission, said Susan Baushke, Petite Opera Executive Director.  "While the show was definitely in our sights for selection, we worried about producing the original since it requires too much suspension of disbelief for today's novice opera patron: How could the girls would be so woefully incompetent or gullible as to not see through the guys' disguises? As a result, we were delighted to secure Dimitri Toscas' updated version, set in 1959 Chicago.  Here, the girls see through the disguises immediately, completely turn the tables on the guys, and teach them a lesson about betting on their fidelity!"

Toscas, told Petite Opera that he never envisioned that Mozart would actually have presented the girls as totally duped by the guys' disguises.  One of his motivations for writing the piece was to truly present that both men and women respond the same way to these little games.  Ergo, the change in focus and translation from "Thus Do All Women" or "All Women Are Like That", to "Everyone is Just the Same".  This shift comes out clearly in the update.

In addition, the show has been shortened to about 2.25 hours from its original 3.5 hours.  The chorus has been removed, and there has been some creative musical editing--moving musical selections around to accommodate the updated action.  The length appeals more to the audiences of today.

Over the next several posts, we’ll hear more from Petite Opera staff and cast on the making of this incredible Chicago Premiere.

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Petite Opera performs Cosi fan tutte (Everyone Is Just the Same) November 8-23, 2013 at Mary Wilson House Beyer Auditorium, part of St. Mary's Episcopal Church campus, 306 S Prospect Ave at Crescent Ave (enter on Crescent Ave), Park Ridge, IL.  Call 847-553-4442 to reserve tickets, or purchase tickets online via credit card (convenience charges apply to credit card orders). 

Petite Opera is a professional 501c3 opera company

In Petite Opera's THE MIKADO, if you're caught flirting, it's off with your head!

Limited run: April 20-May 5.  

Hold the Dates!  You don't want to miss it!

Legend has it that W.S. Gilbert attended the first Japanese Exhibition in England, purchased a samurai sword as a souvenir, and hung it over his doorway.  Searching for the next suitable plot for a collaboration with Sir Arthur Sullivan, he was literally struck by an idea -- when the sword fell on him -- to set the next operetta in Japan... and The Mikado was born.

The story is fun and twisted in typical Gilbert fashion.  In the Japanese town of Titipu, Ko-Ko, a man condemned to death for flirting, is instead released and granted the title of Lord High Executioner. Unknowingly, he agrees to execute Nanki-Poo, the disguised son of the very eccentric and comic Mikado (the emperor), and all types of comic situations arise!  The cast of characters is rounded out by a town nobleman (Pish-Tush) determined to have Ko-Ko execute himself, an arrogant, greedy nobleman (Pooh-Bah), three little maids (Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo), one of whom (Yum-Yum) is to marry Ko-Ko but loves Nanki-Poo, an elderly woman (Katisha) pursuing Nanki-Poo, and an exquisite ensemble of maids and gentlemen of Japan.

The marvelous score by Sir Arthur Sullivan is sprinkled with tunes you know and love, such as "Three Little Maids", "I've Got A Little List", and "Here's a How-De-Do".  And for those who track popular culture, you're sure to love some of the modernized lyrics, courtesy of talented local writer H.R.T. Guillen (who contributed to Petite Opera's original productions Al Fresco - Life through Opera-Colored Glasses).

Petite Opera is proud to bring Gilbert and Sullivan back to Park Ridge with this production by presenting one of the team's most popular collaborations. And Petite Opera's production has it all -- outrageously fun characters, wonderful singing, impeccable comic timing in true over-the-top British fashion, exquisite acting, marvelous sets, costumes and choreography all set to orchestra in an intimate space.  This show is 100% family-friendly, and suitable for all ages.

If you're a Gilbert and Sullivan fan, like musical comedy, if you loved Petite Opera's Al Fresco, or if you just want a fantastic evening out, you're sure to love this wonderful production.

HOLD THE DATES or Reserve Your Tickets Now!

Fridays, April 20, 27 and May 4 at 7:30 PM

Saturdays, April 21, 28 and May 5 at 7:30 PM

Sundays, April 22, 29 at 4:00 PM (matinees)

To reserve in advance and pay via cash or check immediately before the performance, call 847.553.4442.  Tickets may also be purchased up to 3 hours prior to the performance via credit card (convenience fees apply). 

Adults are $25, Seniors (age 62+) are $22, Students (K-College) are $15, and children age 5 and under are free!