Friday, October 2, 2015

The Lyric's Cinderella- Family Friendly Opera Fun!


Isabel Leonard in the title role
photo by Scott Suchman
Washington National Opera
After last year's introduction to opera, we've been looking for an opportunity to bring our son to a show that's full length and family/kid friendly.

We (and you) have the perfect opportunity this October, as the Lyric is presenting a very family friendly production of Rossini's Cinderella.  It's a story that he already knows (we just finished watching the newly released live action movie at a school movie night), and this particular opera seems designed for people who have never been to the opera before- projected titles in English, lots of colorful costumes, dancers in mouse costumes, and lots of other stuff.

The show is directed by the co-founder of a Barcelona Street theatre company, Els Comediants, and is full of colorful costumes, lots of comedy and zany activity, and Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard in the title role. (Although in the opera, her name is Angelina, and not Cinderella!)

Here's Leonard doing a funny gig on Sesame Street:(The People In Your Neighborhood.)



The production is new to Chicago, but it has been presented successfully in a number of places, including at the Kennedy Center, at the Welsh National Opera, and in Houston.

Here are some photos of a previous production at the Washington National Opera.  The sets and costumes will be VERY similar!)

"Cinderella," images by Scott Suchman (Washington National Opera).


Cinderella opens on Sunday, October 4 with 8 performances through Friday, October 30. Performance dates are Oct. 7, 10, 13, 17, 23, 26 at 7:30pm; and Oct 4 and 30 at 2pm. 


For tickets and information call (312) 827-5600 or go to lyricopera.org


(And by the way, the Lyric is also sponsoring Operathon on Saturday October 3, an almost full day of opera on the radio at WFMT, supported in part by opera loving power forward Pau Gasol.  You'll hear interviews with some of the opera stars of the Lyric, including cast members of Cinderella, get great deals on tickets and merchandise, and in general, support the Lyric's operations.)

To find out more, visit this link online.

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