The Magic Flute - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Magic Flute, known in German as Die Zauberflöte, was Mozart’s last opera. It premiered September 30, 1791 in Vienna and was a smashing hit from day one. Today, it remains one of the staples of the operatic repertoire, even nabbing a spot as the second most frequently performed opera in 2024 (just behind La Traviata).

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Part of the allure is the magic and adventure in the plot. The show opens with the young prince Tamino being pursued by a serpent. In his fear, he faints and three ladies (attendants of the Queen of the Night) arrive and kill the serpent, rescuing Tamino. They vanish as Tamino comes to. He is still recovering from the shock of finding himself alive and the serpent dead when Papageno wanders in. Papageno is a bird-catcher who is also chronically single. He boasts to Tamino that he killed the serpent, but the three ladies reappear and padlock his mouth shut as a punishment for lying. They hand Tamino a portrait of the Queen of the Night’s daughter, Pamina, and Tamino falls instantly in love (Dies bildnis is bezaubernd schön, This portrait is exceedingly beautiful.)

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Now that he is hooked, the three ladies explain that Pamina has been captured by Sarastro, who they say is a powerful, evil demon. Tamino pledges to rescue her and is off. He carries a magic flute that can turn sorrow to joy and Papageno tags along, bringing magic bells for protection. Both were gifts from the Queen to help with their mission.

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Papageno finds Pamina first. She had been chained in a dungeon by Sarastro’s servant. Pamina is overjoyed to hear that Tamino loves her, but Tamino isn’t there yet. He is being brought to Sarastro’s temple. There are three doors to three temples, Reason, Nature, and Wisdom. Tamino tries but is denied access to all but the Temple of Wisdom. At this door he is greeted by a priest who claims that Sarastro is not evil, the Queen of the Night cannot be trusted, and all will be made clear if he approaches with the spirit of friendship. 

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Papageno and Pamina are caught escaping by Sarastro himself. Pamina begs for forgiveness, but while Sarastro is kind to her, he cannot return her to the Queen of the Night, who he calls proud and headstrong. He brings in Tamino and the lovers meet for the first time. Sarastro instructs that both must go through trials to be purified.

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The trials begin. First Tamino and Papageno must “resist the wiles of women”. The three ladies appear and while Papageno struggles, Tamino remains aloof and pays the ladies no mind until they leave. Tamino has passed the first trial.

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Meanwhile, Pamina is asleep, when her mother, the Queen of the Night appears. Pamina tell her mother about Tamino joining Sarastro’s brotherhood and passing the trials to free her. THe Queen is not pleased. She wanted the rescue to occur without Sarastro’s knowledge. Angrily she sings, Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen, (Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart.) She gives Pamina a dagger, instructing her to kill Sarastro or be disowned. The Queen vanishes and Sarastro appears. But instead of using the dagger, Pamina begs for forgiveness at Sarastro’s feet. He sings In diesen heil'gen Hallen, (Within these sacred halls), Saying there is no room for revenge and hatred in Sarastro’s court.

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The second trial begins. Tamino must remain silent, but this time, Pamina is with him. She does not know of the vow. She tries to talk to her new love, but Tamino holds his vow of silence. Pamina thinks Tamino is no longer interested and is heart broken.

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Pamina is torn, but it is time for trial three. Tamino must face the fear of death. At the last moment, Pamina rushed to Tamino pledging to complete the trial with him. She brings his flute and with its magic, they pass through the final trial unharmed. 

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The trials are over, the Queen has been banished, the lovers are united, and everyone is happy! Except for Papageno. He still has not found his love. Dejected, he wanders back to the woods. Suddenly, there is a rustle in the bushes and Papagena appears. They sing the duet, Pa..pa..pa! as they delight in meeting their perfect match.

Les Misérables - Claude-Michel Schönberg

Set against the backdrop of the Paris Uprising of 1832, also known as the June Rebellion, this musical is a tale of love, loss, hardship, and how sometimes laws are better broken. We follow the character Jean Valjean, a man who escapes a chain gang after being caught stealing a loaf of bread. Soon after his escape, he encounters a priest whose kindness changes Valjean’s life. He vows to be a good person and builds himself into a wealthy, upstanding citizen of Paris. Inspector Javert is an upstanding man who believed firmly in the law. He is rigid in his morality and when he recognizes Valjean years after his escape, Javert makes it his mission to recapture the escaped prisoner so he can finish out his sentence. 

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Then we have the younger characters. Marius is a bright student who is part of the Republican movement calling for the end of the French Monarchy. Cosette is an orphan, adopted and raised by Valjean as an act of penance. Eponine is the young woman who grew up with Cosette as the spoiled barkeeper’s daughter but now lives on the street and is hopelessly in love with Marius. But Marius and Cosette meet and fall in love and Eponine must watch from the sidelines. Their lives are all entangled together, pulled by love (sometimes unrequited), loyalty, family, and duty. The message is as poignant today as it was when the show was first written. Life is full of shades of grey and everyone is fighting for what they believe in, even if it seems like we disagree.

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Now for more detail about the songs in this set.

Jean Valjean and Javert cross paths for the first time since Valjean’s escape from prison. Valjean, feeling morally responsible for his former employee, Fantine’s, impending death, has vowed to rescue her child from her abusive foster parents. Javert has just put together the pieces that the mayor who just lifted a cart off a man who was trapped underneath is Valjean as there was only one man he could remember with strength like that, the escaped prisoner from years ago. As Valjean is about to leave to collect little Cosette, Javert arrives to rearrest him. The two men go toe to toe in Confrontation, each fighting for their own moral high ground. 

Valjean escapes again and Javert sings Stars, pledging to dedicate his life to tracking down Valjean and putting him back in prison. Javert’s view of morality is black and white. You break the law, you must pay. The reasons for breaking the law are irrelevant. In the end of the show, Javert starts to see the grey in the world and can’t reconcile this with his own rigid morality. It is his ultimate undoing.

Eponine was once the spoiled biological daughter of Cossette’s foster parents. But her parents are horribly corrupt and the family ultimately ends up living on the streets of Paris. There she meets Marius, a young college student involved in the revolution. Eponine falls in love with Marius, but he only views her as a friend. When Marius meets Cossette one day, it's all over for Eponine. Despite her better judgement, she helps Marius find where Cossette lives so they can meet. They fall instantly in love leaving Eponine alone once again. She sings On My Own, lamenting her situation.

As the revolution starts, Eponine volunteers to run a message. On her return she is shot. The rebels drag her back behind the barricade and she dies in a grieving Marius’s arms (Little Fall of Rain).

Things do not get better for the rebels. They are outgunned and out maneuvered and the barricade falls. Most of the young students are dead. But Valjean comes to join the fight and notices Marius is still breathing. He picks up the injured man that he recognizes as his daughter, Cossette’s love, and carries him away from danger through the sewers of Paris. He sings Bring Him Home, offering to trade his own life for Marius.
 

Three Love Songs…Kind of..

Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific- A beautiful love song that jumped the genres and became an American classic. Covered by artists such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Dylan. Andrew Lloyd Webber called it “the greatest song ever written for a musical.”

What is it about her? from The Wild Party- It's a wild, wild party that our lovers throw. Burrs and Queenie fell in love because of their passionate natures. But passion like that is hard to sustain through the mundane slog of life. They throw a party to rekindle their love but things get a little out of hand. Still, Burrs feels that initially drew him to Queenie. There is just something about her.

Song that Goes Like This from Spamalot- Every show has to have a love duet, and it goes a little something like this. 

La Bohème - Giacomo Puccini

Presenting, Act 3 of La Bohème! You get to listen to almost an entire act of opera, unbroken. The only piece missing is the final quartet of the act! We are over the moon to present this large of a section for you all. Here is what is happening:

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The scene takes place outside a local tavern in the depths of winter. One chilly night, Mimì arrives in distress: her relationship with Rodolfo has soured due to his jealous tendencies and her worsening health. She confides in Marcello and asks him to fetch Rodolfo for a final farewell.

When Rodolfo appears, Mimì loses courage and hides herself. Confiding in Marcello, Rodolfo admits he fears Mimì’s illness will soon end her life. He left because he felt it was too hard to watch her decline. A sudden bout of coughing betrays Mimì’s presence, and the lovers are brought together in a poignant farewell duet. They agree to stay together until the spring thaw, knowing that this is most likely wishful thinking.

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The Sounds of Italy

These next songs have the quintessential Italian sound: romantic, flowing, and reminiscent of hot summer days. Malia and Ideale are from the art song genre. These are shorter songs typically not part of a larger narrative. These are one-off lovely little songs.

O mio babbino, from Puccini’s opera, Gianni Schicchi, is one of the most frequently performed arias. It is beautiful and lush, which is the total opposite of the translation. This lovely aria is actually a teenage girl begging her dad to let her marry the neighbor boy. In full teenage angst, she tells her dad that if he doesn’t let her go, she will throw herself off a bridge. She tries to butter him up at the end with a few “Pretty please, Dad”, complete with batting eyelashes.

The Prayer and Time to Say Goodbye are songs you might be familiar with. Sung by the likes of Celine Dion, Andrea Boccelli, Charlotte Church, Josh Groban, and even Will Ferrell in the movie Stepbrothers, these songs have made their way into pop culture.

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Thank you!!

We want to thank all of you for joining us this evening. We hope you had an enjoyable evening with us. Cheers!

​While this concert is free, we do take donations. It is with your support that we can continue our mission - to make opera accessible to everyone. If you would like to donate, you can place cash in the jars on the tables near the stage or just click the button below to donate online! We also accept payment via Vemno @overdressedduo. For a check donation or if you would like a receipt for your donation, please speak with one of our volunteers wearing the pink volunteer lanyards. We thank you for your support.

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