Orpheus in the Underworld
Click the above image for the digital program.
Thank you to our cast, creative team, audiences, and supporters for making our first full-length, fully-staged production such a success! Our 97% sold-out run reassures us that operetta will live on in the 21st century!
About the Show
As its first full-length, fully-staged operetta, Great Lakes Operetta felt there was no better choice than to present Jacques Offenbach’s seminal work, Orpheus in the Underworld!
Originally premiering as Orphée aux enfers, this musical spoof of the Orpheus myth was the Hadestown of 1858’s Paris and had a cultural impact comparable to Hamilton or Phantom of the Opera. It is often considered the first operetta and inspired many other composers, most notably Johann Strauss Jr. The original book was written in part by Ludovic Halévy, of Carmen fame, and the score introduced the now world-famous “can-can” (known in the show as the “Infernal Gallop”). The show is raucous, wacky, and surprisingly modern, and the score is one of Offenbach’s best, ensuring its continued popularity.
Orpheus was initially controversial: in this version, Orpheus and Eurydice can’t stand each other and there is no moral redemption for anyone (although there is a singing bug, pictured below). Offenbach actively lampoons the tropes of classicism – both the original Greek myths and the revered operatic versions of those myths, such as Gluck’s Orfeo (which is even quoted musically in a very meta moment). Critics of the day felt Offenbach was disrespecting the Arts and Culture of the past – among other things – but Parisian audiences couldn’t get enough and allegedly the show only closed after running for 2 years straight (unheard of at the time) because the cast was exhausted.
20 years later, Offenbach released what might now be called a “Special Edition” version, turning the original 2 act show into a 4 act extravaganza with multiple new ballet numbers, more characters, and special effects. Most modern productions, including Great Lakes Operetta’s version, are 2 act versions with some elements of the 1874 production retained.
Great Lakes Operetta’s production was presented in a new (premiere) English translation by Francis Lynch, who has translated three other French operetta works for Evanston Chamber Opera. The production was directed by GLO Artistic Director SarahAnn Sutter, music directed by Lindsey Baer, assistant music directed by Anna Therese George, and produced by Kristin Weed.
Cast & Creative Team
– CAST –
Orpheus: Mason Montuoro (All dates)
Eurydice: Gabrielle Goudard (July 11, 17, 19); Gabrielle Haigh (July 10, 12, 18)
Public Opinion: Jennifer Barrett (July 11, 17, 19); Isabella Daltoso (July 10, 12, 18)
John Styx: Solamada Pando Girard (All dates)
Pluto: Jonathon Joseph Larson (July 11, 17, 19); Sasha Tomasevich (July 10, 12, 18)
Jupiter: Alexander Quackenbush (All dates)
Diana: Halle Rosemond (July 11, 17, 19); Catherine Larson (July 10, 12, 18)
Cupid: Hillary Esqueda (July 11, 17, 19); Abigail Greer Arcomona (July 10, 12, 18)
Venus: Alexandra Kassouf (July 11, 17, 19); Val Beck (July 10, 12, 18)
Mercury: Kristin Weed (July 11, 17, 19); Kelly Killorin (July 10, 12, 18)
Minerva: Allison Mann (July 10, 11, 12); Eugenia Bouboudakis (July 17, 18, 19);
Juno: Katarina Bakas (All dates)
Mars: Jonathan Rodney (All dates)
Bacchus: Lucas Gassmann (All dates)
Vesta: Solamada Pando Girard (All dates)
– CREATIVE TEAM –
New English & Translation & Orchestral Adaptation: Francis L. Lynch
Producer: Kristin Weed
Stage Director/Choreographer: SarahAnn Sutter
Music Director: Lindsey Baer
Assistant Music Director: Anna Therese George
Collaborative Pianist: Sarah Jenks
Flutist: Emily Heuck
Clarinetist: Peter Ji
Violinist: Marley Haller
Collaborative Pianist: Jacob Adams
Stage Manager: Chiron Finn
Production Assistant & Supertitles: Isabel Schmitz
Lighting Designer: Henry Toohey
Costumer: SarahAnn Sutter
Wardrobe Mistress: Cecile Sutter
Costume Coordinator: Aliyah Necaise
Assistant Costumer: Jack W. Ellis
Production Design: Kristin Weed, SarahAnn Sutter, Jennifer King Russell, Eugenia Bouboudakis, Cecile Sutter
Photographers: Elise Blanchard, Kambua Chema, Julia Valencia, Mark Nelson, SarahAnn Sutter
Marketing: Eunice Ayodele, Jack W. Ellis, Allison Mann, Kristin Weed, SarahAnn Sutter
Programs: Eugenia Bouboudakis, Debra Hatchett
Front of House: Kristin Weed, Debra Hatchett, Tracey Gentile, Eunice Ayodele, Tierra Whetstone, Jennifer King Russell
Ushers: The Saints
Special Thanks: Park Plaza Senior Living, Chicago Fringe Opera, Skokie Parks District & the Devonshire Cultural Center, Glenview Parks District, Lisa Aguilar, Jack Sutter, Judy Maritato, Robert Sutter, Thomas Molash, Joshua Min, Gabrielle Goudard, Holly Weis
Location
Great Lakes Operetta proudly presented its first full-length, fully-staged production on the stage of the Beatrice Theatre at the beautiful Bramble Arts Loft in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. Located on the second floor the historic Capital Garage building (with an ADA-accessible elevator!), this lovely, intimate space is one of Chicago’s newest performing arts venues.
Click the above image for the digital program.