Tartuffe Sept. 10-12

We have been in rehearsals now for Tartuffe for 2 weeks and have fully blocked the 1st and 3rd acts. They are looking good! We were excited for our Tartuffe to join us this week upon his return from New York and are looking forward to our Damis to come in on Thursday and make our cast complete (and so we can block Act 2). To order tickets, go to the Capitol City Opera website at www.ccityopera.com.

Tartuffe is an opera in English by the composer Kirke Mechem and Capitol City Opera Company is producing it on the stage at Oglethorpe University on Fri. and Sat. Sept. 10 and 11 at 8PM and Sun. Sept. 12 at 3PM. The costumes will be fantastic, but will not be able to overshadow the great singing that is going to happen. The opera is based upon the play by Moliere that premiered in 1660, but the opera premiered in 1980 at the San Francisco Opera. It is very easy to listen to and the comedy should make it easy to watch as well; however, that does not diminish the fact that it is tough to sing.

I can only speak for myself, of course, but the entrances are tricky and the first note of each phrase is sometimes elusive. I have never worked so hard to learn something. My part is also dauntingly large for me at this time in my life, but I am relishing the hard work. I play Dorine, the maid. She is intrical in scheming the overthrow of Tartuffe and therefore, I have conversations with each of the characters separately, sing the well-known aria "Fair Robin I Love" and laugh a lot (which in opera makes for some very difficult music).

I did some interesting research this week on the time period. The king of France at the time was Louis XIV. He reigned for a whopping 72 years, the longest of any European despot. He loved the theatre and was a dancer himself, taking part in several productions at court. Moliere plays were a favorite at court; therefore, Moliere frequently wrote scenes in deference to his sovereign (as seen in Act 3, Scene 2 of our opera). It was a relatively peaceful time for the country so our bourgeoisie characters would be living a life of pious devotion in the country, which is where all the trouble begins. In search of true Christianity, Orgon invites Tartuffe into his home. Everyone else in the house, Damis and Marianne (Orgon's children), Dorine, and Valere (Marianne's fiance) can all see Tartuffe's true colors, which include his lust for Orgon's wife Elmire, and must plot to get him out of the house and keep their inheritance at the same time!

I am thoroughly enjoying figuring out this character and learning the music and rehearsing with some other great singers. Now, if only we had an audience.....