Comedy gold combined with beautiful music; the perfect beginners’ guide to opera.
The Opera Locos is a riotous good time! Under the direction of Joseph O’Curneen and David Ottone, five unique characters captivate the audience in this wonderfully comical presentation. Rather than using dialogue, physical comedy combines with faultless vocals to convey the characters’ stories and experiences. Featuring works from classic operas, such as Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’, alongside pop and rock like Sinatra’s ‘My Way’, this is the perfect show for those who may find a full scale opera daunting.
The Opera Locos featured five distinctive characters, two brilliant romances, and a good deal of fun. Washed-up tenor Alfredo and the loving soprano Maria, performed by Jesus Alvarez and Maria Rey-Joly respectively, make up one of the precious couples. Their quirky romance is fun for all, inducing many fits of laughter in the audience. The other pair, consisting of Michael Kone as the pop-loving Franelli and Enrique Sanchez-Ramos as the macho Enrique, is impossible not to fall in love with; the challenging and contrasting nature of the characters makes for a romance that you have to root for. The spunky Carmen, Mayca Teba, finds love amongst the crowds and leaves the audience blushing in her wake.
The Opera Locos is a truly immersive experience. It uses a great deal of audience interaction to draw the viewers into the story. Featuring a whole scene in which Enrique transforms the audience into a choir and conducts us in a sing-a-long, it forces the audience to become a part of the story. Adding to the immersive experience, Tatiana de Sarabia outfitted the characters with elaborate costumes that contrasted perfectly with the simplicity of the set she had designed. The only point of contention in Sarabia’s design being Alvarez’s fat suit which was rather poorly fitted. Pedro Pablo Melendo completed the experience with lighting that flawlessly set the mood for each scene and each song.
Musical directors Marc Alvarez and Manuel Coves did a wonderful job in drawing out the best of their talented casts’ vocals. Apart from wishing for a few more ensemble numbers, The Opera Locos is a wholly satisfying auditory experience. Especially memorable were the harmonies of Rey-Joly and Teba, and the impressive range of Kone. An unfortunate issue repeated during several of the solos, were backing tracks that drowned out the vocalists.
The Opera Locos is a terrific show that should not be missed. It is playful, filled with beautiful music, and entirely immersive. Apart from some minor sound issues and some struggle on the part of the performers to find center stage, it is an essentially perfect show. Whether or not you like opera, this is a show that is not to be missed. If you go make sure you warm up your vocal pipes first and be mindful where you sit, you never know who could end up on stage next. The Opera Locos is the place to be for a good time.