Going through the emotions for CSUB's 'Evening of Opera Scenes'

Stefani Dias, The Bakersfield Californian
·2 min read

Nov. 29—A night at the opera in Bakersfield? Cal State Bakersfield will bring opera fans the next best thing on Thursday with "An Evening of Opera Scenes."

This one-night-only engagement will offer an exciting night of opera and musical theater scenes with full staging and costumes.

"We've created a unique look for each of the three scenes, so even though we move from place to place, the audience will be drawn into the world of the characters," Mandy Rees, who shared stage directing duties with Peggy Sears, wrote in an email.

Local talents Roger Upton and Chris Eicher aided the production as costume designer and scenic/lighting director, respectively.

Scenes will be performed from three productions: Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and Puccini's "Suor Angelica" and "Tosca."

In "Suor Angelica," the tragic story of a woman who entered a convent after a great loss, Julia Malone plays the title character. Andrea Marquez plays another nun, Kylee Marchant is the abbess and Jessica Ardray is the princess whose visit to the convent sets off events.

The scene from "Tosca," another tragic story, features Jill Burdick as the titular opera singer who aims to save her lover, Cavaradossi (Josh Forquera), from the police. Zachary Richardson also performs as the sacristan.

In the scene of "Sweeney Todd," Michael Ellsworth plays the homicidal barber and Jessica Ardray is his devoted accomplice, Mrs. Lovett. Rachel Stratemeier performs as Todd's daughter, Johanna Barker, Devin McGee is Anthony, the sailor who loves her, and Natalie Rogge is a beggar woman with a mysterious past.

Music director Soo-Yeon Park said the repertoire selections were based on the voices of the singers who rehearsed for the show for three months.

Park hopes viewers are swept away by the night of opera.

"The audience breathes the same air along with the musicians," she wrote in an email. "We share the same emotions and feelings — grief, love, jealousy, revenge, and more."

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Dore Theatre on campus, 9001 Stockdale Highway. Free parking is available in lots B and C.

Admission is $12, $7 for seniors (60 and older) and students, free for CSUB students with ID.

Visit csub.edu/music to purchase tickets.

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.