First Coast Opera opens 'Opéra Mystique' at The Waterworks in St. Augustine on Feb. 3

From Staff Reports
·2 min read
"Opéra Mystique" combines two operas into one, Gustav Holst’s "Sāvitri" and Gian Carlo Menotti’s "The Medium."
"Opéra Mystique" combines two operas into one, Gustav Holst’s "Sāvitri" and Gian Carlo Menotti’s "The Medium."
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"Opéra Mystique," First Coast Opera’s first production at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave., in uptown St. Augustine, opens Feb. 3. Tickets are available at firstcoastopera.com.

“We are thrilled to produce this production in The Waterworks, an intimate venue for these short opera programs,” said Curtis Tucker, First Coast Opera Artistic Director, and orchestra conductor for "Opéra Mystique."

Returning stage director Helena Binder ("Madama Butterfly," "La Traviata") leads this production.

This other-worldly program features staged performances of two short operas written and performed in English — Gustav Holst’s "Sāvitri" and Gian Carlo Menotti’s "The Medium," both offering poignant glimpses into how people confront and react to death.

First Coast Opera will open "Opéra Mystique" on Feb. 3 at The Waterworks in St. Augustine.
First Coast Opera will open "Opéra Mystique" on Feb. 3 at The Waterworks in St. Augustine.

"Opéra Mystique" invokes mysticism and the afterlife to explore the idea that people believe what they want to believe. Small casts and a small orchestra will offer uniquely-intimate experiences, both thought-provoking and dramatic.

In "Sāvitri," Gustav Holst, composer of the popular orchestral suite "The Planets," combines eastern culture and western musical elements to tell an ancient story about Death’s claim upon a young man’s soul and his wife’s attempt to delay the inevitable. Holst uses strings and woodwinds to create an ethereal sound that transports the audience to another realm. 

Soprano Lisa Lockhart, tenor Eric Botto, bass-baritone Lloyd Reshard Jr. and dancer Christina Santos return to First Coast Opera for this production.

"The Medium" by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti recalls film noir in this tragic drama of seances and unexplained phenomena. The work was performed on Broadway in 1947, representing the first major and international success for the composer best known for the Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. The story revolves around Madame Flora. Does she really help others communicate with departed loved ones or is she merely a shyster taking their money?

Former Metropolitan Opera singer Heidi Skok makes her FCO debut as Madame Flora, joined by Eric Botto as Toby and other FCO newcomers Kyaunnee Richardson as Monica, Cass Panuska and Torlef Borsting as Mr. and Mrs. Gobineau, and Laura Kimmel as Mrs. Nolan.

Tickets, $40 for general admission; and $10 for students and children, are available at firstcoastopera.com or by calling 905-417-5555.

The Waterworks is available through the generosity of the City of St. Augustine and the St. Johns Cultural Council. This event is sponsored in part by the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council and the St. Johns Cultural Council.

"Opera Mystique" will run from Feb. 3 to 12 at The Waterworks in St. Augustine.
"Opera Mystique" will run from Feb. 3 to 12 at The Waterworks in St. Augustine.

"Opéra Mystique"

When: Feb. 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12

  • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4

  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5

  • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11

  • 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12

Where: The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave.

Tickets: $40 for general admission; and $10 for students and children at firstcoastopera.com or 905-417-5555.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: 'Opéra Mystique' on stage in St. Augustine from Feb. 3 to 12