Synopsis of Opera Stories
La Belle Helene
By Jacques Offenbach
The classic love story of the Greek prince Paris and Helen of Troy gets
a French twist in Jacques Offenbachís La Belle Helene. This Brilliant
work by the ìfather of operettaî hilariously sends up both
nineteenth century opera and its high-minded, classical theme-with a
few jabs at politics and society thrown in!
Romance gets its due in the sensual, richly romantic music portraying
one of
the worldís most famous love affairs. The ravishing Dream Duet and
the unforgettable Act II Waltz highlight the endlessly melodic score.
The Red Mill
By Victor Herbert
Pack your bags and wooden shoes as we travel with Kid Coonor and Con
Kidder, two wide-eyed young Americans, on their tour of Holland and
the small Dutch
town Katwyk-ann-Zee on a shoestring budget in Victor Herbert's
The Red Mill.
Warmth, humor and romance abound in this well-loved operetta, as
the two protagonists try to stay one step ahead of their unpaid landlords,
while
acting as matchmakers
for a ship captain and a government official's daughter.
The score contains some of Herbert's most cherished songs, including
"Moonbeams", "The Streets of New York" and "Every
Day is Ladies' Day with Me."
Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill
From the decadence of Germany between the two World Wars to the golden
age of Broadway in the 1950's, composer Kurt Weillmade and indelible
mark on musical theater. Berlin to Broadway traces this twentieth century
giant's
remarkable career through twenty-five of his most memorable songs, performed
by a talented group of Twin Cities singers in a cabaret-style format. The
grittiness of "Mack the Knife" from The Threepenny Opera, the Broadway
glitz of "Girl of the Moment" from Lady in the Dark, the
operatic lyricism of "Lonely House" from Street Scene, and
many, many more, vividly demonstrate the breadth and versatility of Weillís
talent in this captivating musical biography.
The Chocolate Soldier
By Oscar Straus
Lieutenant Bumerli, a Swiss mercenary in the Serbian army, turns the household
of a Bulgarian colonel upside down when he escapes from his Bulgarian enemies
by hiding in the daughters bedroom. Based on George Bernard Shaw's play
Arms and the Man, The Chocloate Soldier took Broadway and London by storm
in 1909. with it's tale of a soldier who would rather love than fight,
this charming
operetta gently raises issues that are still pertinent today, and its signature
song, "My Hero", is a worldwide favorite.
Yeomen of the Guard
By W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan
Yeomen of the Guard, the most serious and operatic of Gilbert and Sullivan's
works, just might be their masterpiece. Handsome Colonel Fairfax faces
execution in the Tower of London; unless he can escape detection by masquerading
as one
of the Tower's famous Guardsmen!
Both
jailer's daughter Phoebe Meryll and traveling performer Elsie
Maynard vie for Fairfax's affection,
while jester Jack Point pines for Elsie. Who will find happiness and
whose heart will be broken? Join North Star Opera for its
first foray into the
repertoire of this celebrated English dup and find out.
