A Culinary Anniversary Gala from Opera Parallèle

As was observed last summer, Opera Parallèle is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary season. Celebration began with a festive “legacy” recital in September and the annual Benefit Gala the following month. However, February will see yet another benefit event, which, due to the setting, must be presented to a relatively limited audience. Since tickets are still available, it seemed appropriate to get out the word sooner rather than later.

The event is organized around a performance of Lee Hoiby’s one-woman one-act opera “Bon Appétit!” Mark Shulgasser prepared the libretto by drawing upon two of the broadcasts of Julia Child’s television series of the same name. Over the course of the performance, the audience will learn Child’s special recipe for making a classic French chocolate cake, Le Gateau au Chocolat “Eminence Brune.” The performance will take place in a “culinary setting," the Hayes Street Grill; and the result of Child’s recipe will be served to all members of the audience as dessert.

In fact, the entire evening will be based on the interleaving of dining and music. The evening will commence with cocktails, followed by a multi-course seasonal dinner. Soprano Taylor See will present vocal offerings between the courses, accompanied at the piano by Keisuke Nakagoshi. The dinner will be followed by the performance of “Bon Appétit!” with mezzo Catherine Cook taking Child’s role; and, as already mentioned, the result of the recipe she will present will then be served as the dessert course. The role was originally performed in 1989 by Jean Stapleton, who had previously performed Hoiby’s “The Italian Lesson” in 1981. (When I was living in Los Angeles, I often saw Stapleton, better known as Edith Bunker, at Los Angeles Opera performances.)

This production will be given two performances, at 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 16, and at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 17. Seating will be limited to 75 at shared tables. All tickets will be sold for $300 and may be purchased online through a Brown Paper Tickets event page with a pulldown menu for selecting the date. (There will be a service fee of $15.99 for each ticket.) Tickets may also be purchased by calling Opera Parallèle at 415-626-6279. The Hayes Street Grill is located at 320 Hayes Street, on the north side of the street between Franklin Street and Gough Street.