You will have to excuse me when talking about Stephen Schwartz, as I may geek out just a bit. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, he has written such musicals as: Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, and the music for movie musicals Enchanted, Hunchback, and Prince of Egypt, just to name a few! This was Stephen Schwartz's first opera, and has (so far) been a success! I will let Bray write more about the actual musical details of the opera, and I will tell you about my time surrounding the premiere event!
Opera Santa Barbara commissioned the work, and it was to be performed in the newly refurbished Granada Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara. The theater itself is amazing, and was a perfect venue for the opening. I had the privilege of going to 2 dress rehearsals before the actual opening night. This allowed me to get to know the story line quite well,and I was able to hear more of the complexity of the music, and how the orchestration became a key character in it's own right.
The set was fantastic, and was designed by Tony award-winner Heidi Ettinger. When I first walked into the auditorium, I saw a huge plexi-glass Victorian house onstage. It was 2 stories, complete with staircases, and was able to turn 360 degrees. This made it so the house 'moved' with the characters, giving it a cinematic feel. Combined with the lighting also by a Tony nominee, David Lander, put you in the perfect mood for a dark and moving story. My absolute favorite part of the set, though, was the 'curtain of chains.' I do not know how tall they were, but there was several full rows of chains that could raise up and down, and when touched or moved, sounded like rain.
Bray was in the chorus for this show, and Stephen Schwartz brought his own Broadway influences by having the chorus heavily choreographed. The colors were all within a gray/black palette, and the chorus members were dressed to match. They all had umbrellas that they used in their numbers to create different shapes and patterns, and at one point they all came together and formed a 'trolley.'
I had a glimpse of what it would be like to go to the Oscars or the Golden Globes on the night of the premiere. Bray of course had to be at the show early, and so I got to walk around beautiful State Street until the doors opened. The evening was gorgeous, and they had even laid out a red carpet in front of the theatre for the big names to walk on when entering. It was surreal to see all the people in their dresses and tuxes arriving in Rolls Royces and limos, having their picture taken on the red carpet, and then entering the theatre for the show that my husband was a part of!
The opening went very well, and afterwards, I was able to attend the elite after-party with Bray. They had a tent set up in a open courtyard with chocolate delicacies, champagne and fruit. Bray introduced me to all of the cast and designers, but the highlight of the evening (warning: geek out moment) was actually at the end of the party. Nearly everyone had left and it was close to 2 in the morning, and I had just said I was a little disappointed as I didn't get to congratulate Stephen Schwartz himself. Right after that I looked over, and saw Stephen talking to one of the last party-goers. Bray, knowing I would never do it on my own, asked Stephen if I could get a picture with him, and then we all walked to our cars with the composer, on the night of his world premiere.
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