LIGHTS OUT! “THE MAGIC FLUTE” NEEDED MAGIC INDEED!

Out of the darkness comes a brilliant stage production of Mozart’s classic opera

In 2018 Cynthia Leigh and I founded Genesis Opera Theatre with the goal of producing operas for audiences of all ages at a reasonable ticket price. In addition to attracting opera lovers, we also did a great amount of outreach to young people in underserved communities, for whom our productions might instill a love for the art form.

Genesis’ first production and most of those that followed it, were one-act operas presented at STAR Repertory Theatre’s 100-seat space in Escondido. Among those were “Amahl & the Night Visitors,” “Pagliacci,” “Suor Angelica,” “Goyescas” and “The Impresario.” In the Spring of 2024, we produced our first musical comedy, a restaging of Sal Ponti’s “Magdalene: The Musical,” the show’s first full production in 40 years.

With the confidence we had coming out of “Magdalene,” it was time to produce our first full two-act opera. The one Cynthia was most excited about, one she’d been talking about producing for years, was Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

“The Magic Flute” is a love story, and a frequently comical one…the final opera written during Mozart’s illustrious life. It follows the journey of Prince Tamino as he searches for and rescues Princess Pamina, all the while facing challenges he must overcome to win her hand.

Rehearsals started August 5, 2024, with Cynthia directing and Abe Fabella overseeing the music. With only four weeks of rehearsals, the cast did a tremendous job and was ready to go as opening night approached (as with all our productions, I was impressed with how so many of the performers showed up at the first rehearsal with their parts fully memorized).

With the rehearsals going so smoothly, perhaps it would be inevitable that the first hiccup we would have would occur at our final dress rehearsal, and it was on me.

From my Journal, September 5, 2024:

There were significant lighting problems at the theatre tonight, some of which may have been my doing. Marcela Pan, Cynthia’s friend who came to project the English supertitles tonight, pointed out the closest outlet to plug in her projector, which happened to be near the ceiling and a lighting bar. Well, I unplugged and replugged something that caused everything to go haywire, and poor Jeffrey Yarush was on a ladder with stage manager Marchella Versteegh at his side for at least half an hour before the run, another half hour at intermission, and at least a half hour after the show trying to get all the lights back online. They were still at the theatre when Cynthia and I left around 10:30pm. Ouch! I shouldn’t have touched anything!

Our lighting director Jeffrey Yarush is an amazing man, with skills as an actor, director and sound designer as well. What he went through to get things back on track, without complaint, was remarkable. The shame of it is that all his hard work this time around would be for naught.

September 6, 2024:

Last minute preparations for tonight’s opening of “The Magic Flute” included getting the programs printed and packing up last minute props and other items. All the planning could not have taken into account what was about to happen next, unfortunately.

At 4pm I got a call from our stage manager Chella, who told me the electricity was out at STAR Repertory Theatre, where we were two hours away from the actors’ call time. An electrician was on site, but she said they had no idea what’s going on. I was told this was unrelated to the electrical problems of last night. A complete blackout of the theatre that threatened to kill our opening night.

At 4:20 Chella called again.

“We’re going to have to call it,” were the first words out of her mouth. I told her it was too early to cancel the show; that we needed to wait and see if the problem could be resolved. Our lighting director Jeffrey Yarush got on the phone with more details about what was going on and we agreed to hold off on any decisions.

The next call I had was with Scott Kolod (STAR Rep’s co-founder and overseer of the theatre), who told me they’d gotten the power back for five minutes but lost it, then on again for five or ten. At 5pm Cynthia and I headed over to the theatre and the power had been fine for a full hour, so as the cast arrived and started getting into makeup and wardrove at 6, things were looking good.

Until they weren’t.

Power went out again. Scott switched a breaker in the electrical box and we were good again…for maybe five minutes. The next time he switched the breaker there was a white flash that practically knocked him off his feet. The sound like a big crash could be heard on the other side of the building. Scott made the decision then…this was a fire hazard and we wouldn’t be able to do the show there tonight.

The cast gathered in the theatre and we told them the news. We were cancelling the show and would give customers a choice of a refund or move their tickets to Saturday or Sunday. Then Cynthia came up with a brilliant idea…we could move the production to Trinity Episcopal Church, where we’ve been rehearsing. The cast was enthusiastic about that, so Cynthia called Father Tom at Trinity and got the okay.

Everyone grabbed their costumes and props and headed over. Patrons started arriving and we directed them to the church as well. We wouldn’t have rear screen projections, and we wouldn’t have English supertitles to translate the German lyrics. But for those who bought tickets, that wouldn’t be a problem. All were understanding, actors and patrons alike. And the show went very well. The actors adapted like real pros. It was a sight to see.

The problem now, however, is that we since found out we can’t use STAR Rep tomorrow or Sunday either, and we haven’t yet secured the church (it was too late to get in touch with Father Tom when we knew we’d lost tomorrow and Sunday). Hopefully we’ll lock the church in tomorrow, or tonight may have been opening and closing in one.

While I felt quite helpless about the situation, it was Cynthia who had the confidence that we could pull off another miracle.

September 7, 2024:

Saturday. Didn’t get a long night’s sleep, but at least it was a solid one.

Picked up where last night left off, trying to figure out a venue to stage the next two performances (tonight & tomorrow) of “The Magic Flute” after STAR Rep became unavailable last night with electrical problems. Cynthia connected with the Ritz Theatre, which is right around the corner from STAR Rep in Escondido, and for $900 tonight and the same tomorrow we can stage the show.

Once the deal was done I connected with the San Diego Performing Arts League’s ArtsTix team who called ticket holders to advise them of the change. I emailed a dozen others who bought tickets directly through us at a discount. Apparently, there was a little consternation among some in the cast who heard about the location change from Cynthia after the ticket holders were told (she had other important details to work out before she could email everyone…at that time we were still unsure of Sunday’s show and were negotiating with two potential other venues).

Before getting to the Ritz this evening Cynthia and I had to stop at Trinity to pick up the bench set piece we left there yesterday, and more props and costumes that were left at STAR Rep as we left in haste last night (in the pitch black with flashlights since there was still no electricity). I was sweating again trying to get everything into and out of the car in the 100-degree-plus heat and then getting everything set up before the audience arrived. Fortunately, the Ritz Theatre staff was amazing, and everyone in the cast worked out their adjustments for the new space before the audience was let into the theatre. Chella and Jeffrey worked out all the lighting cues and rear screen projections before Cynthia and I had even arrived. Everything looked and sounded great (the orchestra complemented the powerful un-miked vocals without overpowering them). It’s a very impressive space. Though the theatre seats 400, we squeezed our audience of under 100 into the first ten rows, and there was nothing but kudos from everyone afterward.

This was a big success of a show in this large expansive theatre. The vivid colors of the projections were amazing. It was slow getting out afterward…we’re still in a bit of shock at how quickly we turned a fiasco into a triumph.

Close of Act I (above); Tamino, Dragon & Three Ladies (below)

September 8, 2024:

Sunday. Today’s performance of “The Magic Flute” at the Ritz Theatre in Escondido was our best yet, with Cynthia playing the Queen of the Night. I did the pre-show greeting and announcements, crediting this resilient cast that faced the toughest of circumstances when we found out we couldn’t use STAR Rep’s space 45 minutes before opening Friday. We had close to 100 in the audience on a day when it was 110 degrees in Escondido and the reception was magnificent. I stood for the entire performance shooting video on my iPhone. Sadly, the video shut off 30-seconds before the end of the show because my phone’s storage capacity had filled! Thirty seconds from having the full show on video! I can tack on the final 30 seconds from last night’s show, so it isn’t the worst loss.

Members of the cast backstage (above)

Scrambled to get props, costumes and a few set pieces back to STAR Rep with Scott and Jeffrey’s help after the show was over and then joined much of the cast for a bite at one of the local restaurants. This can easily be called Genesis Opera Theatre’s best show in regard to sheer vocal talent and staging. The audience experience at a big theatre with a giant stage like the Ritz’ undeniably leaves an impression of our company being a much bigger enterprise.

The magic (no pun intended) of this show was undeniable and will always be a highlight of my time with Genesis Opera Theatre. Those who were fortunate enough to see it on that Saturday or Sunday may not have known all it took to get us there, but they can’t have helped being mesmerized by the remarkable talent of the cast and orchestra bringing to life all the sights and sounds of what I consider Mozart’s most wonderful opera, “The Magic Flute.”

One last clip, a favorite of mine: Papageno (Sergio Manzo) and Papagena (Helena Yip Nolen), in rehearsal (above)

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