Petite Opera brings back our favorite geek, AL FRESCO, by popular demand!

 

 Al Fresco - Life through
Opera-Colored Glasses

 May 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 2011 at 7:30 PM

May 8, 15, 22, 2011 at 4:00 PM

Opera meets improvisation in this entertaining spoof.

See the opera that started it all...

In 2009, Petite Opera was commissioned to create a fun, comic opera that incorporated well-known, lighter opera music into a modern story in English.  The goal was to make opera fun and entertaining for all ages. The result was Al Fresco, a first-generation Italian-American from an opera loving family, and self-proclaimed "geek".  Experience his comical adventures as he looks for love with modern-day versions of famous opera heroines.  

This original story with original English lyrics is set to the wonderful music of Sullivan, Mozart, Puccini and others.  See for yourself why patrons who saw the premiere begged us to bring it back again.  We've even added some new fun twists not originally seen in the premiere.  Join us May 6-22!


Tickets are $25 for Adults (ages 18-61), $22 for Seniors (age 62 and up), $15 for Students (ages 6-18), and Kids age 5 and under are FREE!

Call 847-553-4442 to reserve your tickets for payment by cash or check.
For credit card orders, visit our TICKETS page. 
* * * Please note that a convenience fee applies to credit card orders, and is applied at checkout. * * *

Petite Opera asks the Real Engelbert Humperdinck to Please Stand Up

The Opera With Training Wheels Series

Petite Opera's upcoming production of Hansel and Gretel opens Friday, November 5. The opera, written in 1893 by Engelbert Humperdinck, is the composer's most famous work.

But wait... isn't Engelbert Humperdinck a famous singer?   

Understandably, new patrons to the opera experience are uncertain what to expect from an opera written by Engelbert Humperdinck.  After all, if he's the popular music singer they've heard on recordings since the 1960's, how could he possibly have written an opera in 1893?

It is easy to be confused, for there are, indeed, two famous men named Engelbert Humperdinck. While both are musicians, their musical focuses are quite different.  

Engelbert Humperdinck
German Composer
1854-1921

Born in Germany in 1854, the original Engelbert Humperdinck began composing music at the age of 7, and composing operas at age 11.  He studied under Richard Wagner at Bayreuth, and is most famous for his opera Hansel and Gretel which contains several themes that demonstrate his Wagnerian influences.

Arnold George Dorsey
Popular Music Singer
Engelbert Humperdinck
1936-

The more contemporary Engelbert Humperdinck was born Arnold George Dorsey in 1936 in Madras, India.  In his early years, he dabbled in the saxophone and singing, and then began pursuing a singing career in England in the 1950's. In the 1960's, after years struggling to make it in music, Dorsey became famous when he adopted the name of the famous German opera composer -- Engelbert Humperdinck -- as his stage name.

So, while the names are the same, the music is quite different.  From November 5-20, patrons are invited to experience the wonderful 19th-century melodies of German composer Engelbert Humperdinck as Petite Opera presents its production of Hansel and Gretel. Each performance will be preceded by a pre-curtain discussion that will give information about the opera and the composer, and discuss the Brothers Grimm fairytale.

© 2010, copyright Petite Opera Productions

Theater Industry Night - Discount Tickets

Petite Opera Productions, a new opera company, is seeking to expand its relationship with the opera performing community and related industry personnel. The company, whose mission is to take the stuffy out of opera, and help convert music patrons into opera lovers, is focusing its performance selections mostly on comic works, all of which are performed in updated English translations, and in intimate settings.

On October 30, 2009 - opening night for Petite Opera Productions’ new comic opera parody entitled “Al Fresco: Life Through Opera-Colored Glasses” - performers who provide a headshot photo and resume, and industry personnel who provide a resume, pay only $15 per ticket (a $10 discount).  The group is interested in meeting classically-trained vocalists living in the Midwest who possess exquisite comedic timing and acting abilities, and a passion for converting patrons to the operatic genre.  Likewise, the company seeks industry specialists in the areas of lighting, audio, set design, stage management and related disciplines who wish to provide a fresh face to opera production. Together, we can define opera as the genre of choice for future generations.

Photo: Vienna State Opera Auditorium (via Ethan Prater) via Creative Commons license.

© 2009, copyright Petite Opera Productions