I cannot resist a clever pitch, especially when it's grounded in royal history, even if very, very tenuously. Thus the word from Eileen Meredith's Island City Opera:
Did you ever wonder what those kings and queens you are studying in European History class did for fun on a Friday night? They went to the opera!When Tsar Nicholas I was in charge of Russia and Louis Philippe I was the King of the French, in 1835, they went to Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.
Now, you can go can too!
How clever. In just two months, the company — spinoff from Virago — will start its Lucia run, charging $5 for student tickets to open rehearsals.
Staging begins Dec. 1, performances are scheduled on Jan. 16, 18, 23, and 25, in the Alameda Elks Ballroom, a 109-year-old facility. The conductor is Robert Ashens, stage director Olivia Stapp, and the set designer is Jean Francois Revon — artists well-known in the Bay Area.
Besides Meredith and Boyer in the leading roles, the production also features Branislav Radakovic (Enrico), Raymond Chavez (Arturo), Paul Cheak (Raimondo), Ellen St. Thomas (Alisa), and C. Michael Belle (Normanno).