 Now,
if you go and see a production of this with any other opera company nine times out of ten you won’t see anybody doing a gypsy dance but our director FRANK McCAIN had a vision
and lucky for me I came into his peripheral at just the right moment. With suggested movement from TROY DAVIS...they let me piece it together myself and I was one happy GYPSY.
|
With our tenor, Gustavo Lopez Manzitti |
|
Dancing Around the Campfire |
Channeling "Carmen" at every moment on stage |
So
after all the make-up and the hair...there are no blonde gypsies in "IL TROVATRORE" ...I conjured up ( keeping it in Opera mode) a sexy, sultry dancing CARMEN.... and I
was off and running. In a zillion years I never thought I would ever be dancing solo to "THE ANVIL CHORUS" in fact I didn’t even know that it came from this but yes it
does and indeed I danced it.
| The
voices in this production were just...mind blowing...I stood in the wings and listened and watched ...and I had plenty of time...since I was not in Act Three or Four--p-l-e-n-t-y of t-i-m-e--but I
didn’t mind dancing past the Maestros baton while he was conducting the house band THE ORLANDO PHILHARMONIC and hearing the gorgeous voice of TURID
KARLSEN, our tenor GUSTAVO LOPEZ MANZITTI whose acting ability was equal to his voice. And his voice was superb.
I haven’t been in any opera with someone who commanded the stage with so much presence since Placido. My favorite moment: When he was singing
backstage with just a harp to accompany him. It was stunning and sent a chill down my back.
|
Still channeling "Carmen"
With James Guild |
My least favorite
moment: On opening night when I did my first exit and collided with that same harp...that sent a chill up my back as well.
|
At End of Dance
|
This is as close as I got to one of our three leads
on stage or off. |
Of course, I
sweated out my severest critic...not the newspaper, not the director, not the choreographer but my ballet teacher MISS ANNA. Getting a compliment from MISS
ANNA is like prying open a can of sardines without the can opener...so imagine how I felt when I opened my mail backstage and read "You shown as a star"...that went right up on my dressing
room mirror, right next to our director's card who "thanked me for all the great work I was doing."
|
Our Director, Frank McCain on opening night.
"The most happy fella," Seems his vision was envisioned |
With our Assistant Director/Choreographer, Troy Davis |
|
With the Maestro himself, the great Anton Coppola, who
told me, "Orlando Opera was very lucky to have me."
I love this man. |
|
