Pocket Opera

Hello Family,

It's very exciting that a house which Mariah designed has been featured in a national architecture magazine!

Madelyn, Joe and I have enjoyed talking with Tamika both days this weekend. She is a real character!

When I walked down the hill the day before, I'd checked out a flyer outside the venerable Hillside Club, and had noticed that the "Pocket Opera" was performing there the following day (Sunday). 

So, after checking  with Joseph and Madelyn, I decided to attend.

The performance was absolutely amazing. Those voices! Especially when several of them, or the chorus, sang together, the whole room seemed to vibrate.

By the time I got there, the audience, mostly older people and 2/3 female, was lined up outside. 

The Pocket Opera performs operas in English (all translated by Donald Pippin, the director, announcer, and pianist) with a paired down cast. The orchestra consisted of around 20 people and was seated directly behind the singers, in plain sight on the stage. The chorus was maybe 20 also. All the singing seemed to me absolutely top-notch. Comedic talents were what surprised me the most.

Pagliacci's plot concerns a performance in a small town by a Comedia de'Arte troupe in a very unsophisticated small town in the Italian countryside. The plot of the "play within a play" is that Columbine (shown here listening for her lover, sorry for the lack of focus) is actually planning to run away with a man from the small town. Her husband, after venting his rage in a mighty voice, stabs her 'for real' in front of all of the villagers, who give voice to their shock with a mighty musical chorus, the lover stabs him, and three end up piled on top of each at the end, a true operatic ending.

 
After an intermission, shown below, the cast also performed "Galatea", an operetta in a style which reminded me of Gilbert and Sullivan. I had thought I wouldn't be that impressed by the operetta, but the singing and the comedy and staging were delightful. The whole audience laughed out loud in enjoyment, many times.

   Anyway, it was great! I checked the schedule and there is no way I'll be in Berkeley for their one remaining Hillside Club performance, too bad!

Madelyn made another delicious dinner, sausage and rice made with that delicious chicken sausage which she buys at a local shop.

 I cooked last night, Chicken Ettoufee without thickening the gravy as much. I ended up freezing most of it. Mom seemed to really like the rice and broth part of it the most.

Love,
Lennie