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a week at the

There are very few things you cant get in the heart of Ohio world class opera isnt one of them. At the publishing of this article, Ohio Light Opera has just finished their 37th season, proving yet again that the classical arts are alive and well in our region. For those who may not be familiar with the company, the Ohio Light Opera is the resident professional company of the College of Wooster. The company performs exclusively from the repertoire of light opera (operas comic in their nature, with a happy ending) and classical music theatre and theyve been doing it since their inception.

The company was established in 1979, by a lover of light opera,

James Stuart. Stuart was brought on by the then president of the College of Wooster, Henry Copeland, to form a permanent opera company at the Freedlander Theatre. In those early years, the company only performed from the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. This Victorian Era duo wrote 14 comic operas during the time of their partnership. Those familiar with operetta may know some of their more popular titles, The Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore.

However, by their third summer Gilbert & Sullivan festival, Ohio Light Opera had performed the entire collection of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. The mission of the company was to entertain audiences with the charming, enchanting, and dreamy productions of a more romantic era, but more importantly, it was to provide both young and experienced musicians the opportunity to perform together in a professional setting. It was an easy decision to expand their repertoire to include the entire light opera repository, as well as the musicals from the Golden Age of Broadway.

They have now performed over 140 productions of what can collectively be

called lyric theatre, and the number is still growing. The vision has remained the same, and fans of the company know that each season they will find not only the best of the genre, but hidden gems of lyric theatre (many of which have been translated to English by founder James Stuart himself ).

The formula for planning the seasons shows seems simple enough, according to creative director, Steven Daigle. They first choose one or two shows by Gilbert & Sullivan to keep with their heritage. Second is a Viennese work or a rare piece of lyric theatre history (the 27th seasons Friederike has not been performed since

the 1920s, and never in the United States). And the rest of the shows are chosen from the early American

musical theatre repertoire.For the 37th season,

Ohio Light Opera performed Can-Can by Cole Porter and Abe Burrows; Brigadoon by

Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner; One Touch of Venus by Kurt

Weill, Ogden Nash and S.J. Perelman; Friederike by Franz Lehr, Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Lohner; Oh, Kay! by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse; and The Yeomen of the Guard and Ruddigore, both by Gilbert & Sullivan.

In recent years, the pressure on the theatre industry is to modernize operas and classics of musical theatre to keep them relevant for theatre-goers of the 21st century. Ohio Light Opera has kept the original art alive by resisting this trend. Attendees of a show at the Freedlander will see the shows of lyric opera as they were intended to be seen. They still believe in the timeless quality of the source material. Occasional tweaks are made if it means making the material easier for audiences to understand, but the works of Gilbert & Sullivan are off limits. The company even still sings God Save the Queen before each Gilbert & Sullivan performance a tradition from the time of Queen Victoria.

So why is lyric opera an art worth saving? Well, its where all contemporary musical theatre has come from. It is the transitional connection between the

theatre of today and the opera of its past that will resonate with all fans of modern musicals. Even more, it is accessible in a way that opera isnt its performed in English, but it still hasnt lost the old world glamour. Lyric theatre is for dreamers, lovers of swashbuckling heroes, and cunning heroines. You can expect to escape, to be amused, and most importantly, to be entertained. If Ohio Light Opera can do just that, then they can call the show a success. As Daigle says, a show at Ohio Light Opera is always lively, and more importantly, always accessible.

The Ohio Light Opera is something Ohioans can be truly proud of. And for the price, these shows come with high entertainment value. The company is not only known for the shows they perform, but the talent they bring on each year. People who see every show will get to see familiar talents play multiple leads, but they will also discover the rousing solo voices of the many-layered ensembles, which are often 40 voices strong. The full orchestra that accompanies each performance is icing on the cake. But dont just take my word for it; what they do is heralded by historical musical scholars around the world for what a treasure it is a world-class company that is preserving the musicals of a generation removed.

Unlike a regional theatre, the shows of Ohio Light Operas summer season run congruently, not consecutively. In the course of a week, you can see as many as seven shows during your stay. Many people now come from all over the country to spend a week in Wooster and see all the shows from the season. So mark your calendars for the 38th season of Americas Premier Lyric Theatre Festival, book a room in one of Woosters B&Bs, and brush up on the lyrics to God Save the Queen, because if this season is any indication, the next will be just as unforgettable. AB

The season for Ohio Light Opera runs June through August. For more information, ticketing, and travel suggestions, visit www.ohiolightopera.org or call (330) 263-2345.

All photos by Matt Dilyard.

Left to right: Brigadoon, Touch of Venus, Friederike, Ruddigore, Can-Can, and Oh, Kay!