Pocket Opera to Present Mozart’s “Crazy Day”

As was the case this month, the next San Francisco offering by Pocket Opera will be given at the middle of next month. This is likely to be the most familiar offering of the season, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 492, The Marriage of Figaro. When this opera was first presented, it was controversial on a variety of counts. The libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte was based on a play by Pierre Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais had been an overt supporter of the American War of Independence, and his sympathies with those opposing the French monarchy were no secret. This did not go down well with Imperial Hapsburg thinking in Vienna.

The title of Mozart’s opera is actually the subtitle of Beaumarchais play. The main title of the play is La folle journée, translated as “the crazy day” by Heather Mathews at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music when she supervised a production of the opera there. This may be the most famous opera whose entire plot takes place in less than 24 hours. To say that the narrative unfolds at a rapid pace is practically an understatement!

Dan Yoder and Aimee Puentes in costume for their roles as Figaro and Susanna, respectively (photograph by David Allen)

The title role will be sung by bass Dan Yoder; and his bride-to-be, Susanna, will be sung by soprano Aimee Puentes. The opera will be sung in English to allow all the madcap details of the plot to have their greatest impact. The director for this production will be Jane Hammett.

This performance will take place at the Legion of Honor, beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 15. The Legion of Honor is located in Lincoln Park. It is approached by following 34th Street north of Clement Street (which is the southern boundary of the park). General admission is $50 with a discounted rate of $45 for seniors. Tickets will be sold at the door beginning at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are also available at the presale rate of $47 for general admission and $44 for seniors. Presale is being processed online through a Vendini event page, which allows for individual seat selection.