Opera Theatre to Present Two Comic One-Act Operas March 8, 9, 10
The Department of Music at Arkansas State University will present the ASU Opera Theatre in two comedic operas, “Chicken Little” by Bruce Trinkley, and “The Stoned Guest” by P.D.Q Bach (discovered by one Professor Peter Schickele), which will be held at 7:30 p. m., Thursday-Saturday, March 8, 9, and 10, in the Drama Theatre, Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. Pianists for the opera are Paula Fulkerson and Kathy Abel. The Opera Theatre is under the direction of Dr. Marika Kyriakos, associate professor of music. Tickets are available now at the ASU Box Office (870-972-2781). They are $8 for adults (in advance); $10 for adults (at the door); and $5 for students and children.
The ASU Opera Theatre is trying something new with the children’s opera of the evening, “Chicken Little,” and asks for audience participation from children, youth and/or those who are young at heart no matter what age! All interested in being in the opera on stage to add to our flock of birds (ages 5 and above, please) should arrive at 7 p.m. and fill out a “Chicken Lottery Ticket.” The “Chicken Lottery” will be drawn at 7:15 p.m. Five lucky winners will then be assisted by cast members for costuming, make-up, and brief instructions for the show. Those who are not selected may participate in children’s games which will be played on the stage prior to the show and during intermission. There will be prizes and a raffle, also. Lottery winners will sign a release form, as the evening will be documented. Children and their families are welcome to leave after this first production.
“Chicken Little, A Fable for Wise Children,” is a slight variation of this well-known story. In this version, it is not an acorn that falls on Chicken Little, but rather blueberries and cotton balls, which have been the mainstays of Foxy Loxy’s diet for some time. The sly fox throws the berries and cotton hoping to upset Chicken Little and the other birds so that he can trap them and eat them. Chicken Little convinces all of his bird friends and relatives that the sky is falling. In the end, it is not the King who sets him straight, but the Wren. All dance happily with the news that the sky is not falling; Chicken Little even dances with Foxy Loxy, whom we assume will go back to his diet of blueberries and cotton balls, since he was not successful in his plot to consume his feathered friends. The cast for “Chicken Little”is Kyle Smith of Forrest City as Foxy Loxy, Erin Reagan of Munford, Tenn., as Chicken Little, Becky Morrison of Jonesboro as Goosey Loosey, Kari Rickman of Bono as Warbler, Dennese Adkins of Cabot as Henny Penny, Kate Smith of Wynne as Turkey Lurkey, Michelle Byrd of Pine Bluff as Wren, Cori Beasley of Gilmer, Texas, as Ducky Lucky, and Crystal Aronson of Paragould as Quail.
“The Stoned Guest” is a delightful spoof involving opera singers obviously borrowed from other sources, most of which are operas: characters include Donna Ribalda, Carmen Ghia, Don Octave (who, of course, loves to sing octaves), and Il Commendatoreador (the Stoned Guest whose entrance is strikingly similar to that of Il Commendatore, the visitor in Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni.”). “The Stoned Guest” contains adult subject matter, and parents of small children may choose to leave before the opera begins.
The story begins with Donna Ribalda, who is lost in the forest, distraught over a suitor whom she thought had tried to rape her the previous night. She and a fellow opera singer, Carmen Ghia, come to find out that it was actually her brother, Don Octave, whose identity was concealed due to his attendance at a masked ball. In reality, he was simply trying to woo any woman he could find, but was so drunk, he did not realize it was his own sister. All sing of their woes, particularly Don Octave, who fails at everything but singing octaves. In the end, a very drunken Il Commendatoreador visits (the Stoned Guest). Donna Ribalda kills Carmen Ghia, and Don Octave tries to kill Donna Ribalda, but fails and kills himself instead. Il Commendatoreador kills Donna Ribalda, after which he dies himself. All are resurrected by their savior, a large St. Bernard dog, except Il Commendatoreador. The cast for “The Stoned Guest”includes Janette Robinson of Tampa Bay, Fla., as Donna Ribalda, Renee Smith of Houston, Texas, as Carmen Ghia, Chris Orr of Jonesboro as Don Octave, Cori Beasley of Gilmer, Texas, as Dog, and Kale McDaniel of Jonesboro as Il Commendatoreador.
For more information about the performance, contact the music office at (870) 972-2094.