Opera in Focus

November 24, 2009 2:04 PM

La Gioconda, Tristan und Isolde, The Pearl Fishers, Il Trovatore, and Rigoletto — enacted with 16-inch rod puppets.

The Opera in Focus company continues a Chicagoan puppet opera tradition which began in a 12-year-old boy's basement in 1927 and at its height could fill an exquisite 208-seat theater above a Swedish restaurant.

posted by Iridic (5 comments total)

Much better than an insanely expensive night at the Chicago Lyric Opera (especially seeing a dog like "Midsummer Marriage"). But these videos, why no close-ups? It's like standing room at the Met, where you see an animated postage stamp. (The Pearl Fishers clip, by the way, is truncated.) But with the backstory and all, quite moving.
posted by Faze at 2:50 PM on November 24, 2009

Extremely cool. Whose voices/what recordings are being used?
posted by bearwife at 3:41 PM on November 24, 2009

These are lovely. Thank you!
posted by Lemmy Caution at 7:05 PM on November 24, 2009

Le Wrath di Khan
posted by ...possums at 10:53 PM on November 24, 2009

Strange.
posted by weinzierl at 2:23 PM on November 25, 2009