Light opera and musical theatre are staples of summer stock and community theatre, but one might be surprised to find them on the operatic stage.
In Naperville alone this summer, Summer Place Theatre performed Rodger and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! and North Central College presented Gilbert and Sullivan’s light opera Iolanthe. Meanwhile, other regional groups are solely devoted to performing these genres, such as Evanston’s Light Opera Works. However, it came as a surprise when the Lyric Opera of Chicago chose to present Oklahoma! this past season as part of a five-year long American Musical Theatre Initiative.
With a financial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Lyric will present one classic Rodger and Hammerstein musical for each of the next four seasons. The Sound of Music will take the stage next spring after the close of the regular 2013-2014 mainstage programming. This will be followed by Carousel in 2015, The King and I in 2016, and finally South Pacific in 2017.
The series is advertised as combining the style of grand opera with familiar American favorites, and the performances are excluded from regular season subscription packages, allowing for greater accessibility. However, the jury is still out on the intersection of the two genres. Notably, the Chicago Tribune’s theatre critic, instead of the classical music critic who reviews traditional orchestral and operatic performances, reviewed Oklahoma!, albeit favorably.
In unrelated Lyric Opera news, mark your calendars for the annual free Stars of the Lyric concert in Millennium Park at 7:30PM on Sat., Sep. 7.
