The next production to be presented by Pocket Opera is one of the more recent efforts to transform drama (in this case comedy) into opera. The source is one of Molière’s best-known plays, whose full title is Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite, usually know to most simply as Tartuffe. The protagonist of the narrative is basically a scoundrel out to satisfy his needs by hoodwinking a well-to-do bourgeois family.
The opera version was composed by Kirke Mechem, who also wrote his own English libretto. The play has been given several English translations, the best-known of which was by Richard Wilbur, who invented the adjective “Tartuffified” (because it made for a good rhyme for “bride”). Mechem’s libretto, on the other hand, has been translated into German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Czech.
Eugene Brancoveanu as the scoundrel Tartuffe and Shawnette Sulker as the suspicious maid Dorine (from the Web page for purchasing tickets)
The Pocket Opera production will be staged by General Director Nicholas A. Garcia. The title role will be sung by baritone Eugene Brancoveanu. The other major role is that of the maid Dorine, to be sung by soprano Shawnette Sulker. (This will be her main-stage Pocket debut.) Mechem has created a score for a reduced ensemble, which will be performed by a fifteen-piece orchestra under the baton of Kyle Naig.
As usual, the performance will take place at the Legion of Honor. It will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 22. As many readers probably know by now, the Legion of Honor is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It is located at 100 34th Avenue, which is basically right in the center of Lincoln Park. General admission will be $89. Those age 30 and under may purchase tickets for $35. A Web page has been created for online purchases.
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