The Face on the Barroom Floor returns for 40^th anniversary production

By Peter Alexander

Mozart’s Magic Flute and Verdi’s Il trovatore, two staples of the operatic repertoire, will be the mainstage productions for Central City Opera’s 2018 summer season.

Magic Flute and Il trovatore will be performed in repertory in Central City’s historic 550-seat opera house. Filling out the season are two smaller productions, to be presented in more intimate venues in Central City during the summer: the 40^th-anniversary production of The Face on the Ballroom Floor by Henry Mollicone, which was commissioned by CCO; and Handel’s Acis and Galatea, in its Central City debut production.

Mollicone’s Face on the Ballroom Floor was premiered in 1978 in the Teller House Bar in Central City, where the painting that inspired the opera still draws tourists. The painting was made in 1936 under disputed circumstances and was inspired by a poem by Hugh Antoine d’Arcy that was published in 1887—and which was itself derived from an even earlier poem by John Henry Titus.

The one-act opera features two love triangles separated by a century, both revolving around the mysterious face on the barroom floor.

The season will see the return of number of singers in the two mainstage productions. Bass Kevin Langan, last seen in 2013 as Dr. Gibbs in Our Town, returns in his signature role of Sarastro in The Magic Flute. Langan was recently featured on the cover of Classical Singer magazine in recognition of his longevity over 38 years in opera. Katherine Manley returns as Pamina, and Alessandro Talevi returns to Central City as stage director.

Il trovatore will be practically a reunions party for the 2016 production of Tosca, including Jonathan Burton as Manrico, Alexandra Loutsion as Leonora and Michael Mayes as Count di Luna. John Baril, Central City Opera Music Director, will conduct, and Joachim Schamberger will be stage director.

The pattern of presenting two major works in the Opera House and two smaller productions in other venues in Central City is one the CCO has adopted in the past few years. At one time, the shorter works were taken to other cities and towns in Colorado, but Pelham (Pat) Pearce, CCO’s general/artistic director, says “We decided that part of our identity is the actual experience of being (in Central City).”

According to Pearce, keeping the performances in Central City has not affected the company’s success. “The popularity of these one-acts continues to grow,” he says. “They draw opera goers who are looking for something different as well as those who are new to the art form and curious about experiencing something that’s shorter, less expensive, and feels more accessible.”

In addition to the four staged productions, the CCO summer season includes recitals, opera scenes, pre-performance lectures and post-performance opportunities to meet the artists.

# # # # #

Central City Opera 2018 Season

Mozart: The Magic Flute
André de Ridder, conductor
Alessandro Talevi, stage director

Cast includes Kevin Langan as Sarastro, Katherine Manley as Pamina. Debuting with Central City Opera: Joseph Dennis as Tamino, Will Liverman as Papageno, Jeni Houser as The Queen of the Night and Ashraf Sewailam as The Speaker.

Matinees at 2:30 p.m.: July 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 25, 29; Aug. 2, 5
Evenings at 8 p.m.: July 7, 19, 27, 31
Central City Opera House

Performed in German with English supertitles.

Verdi: Il trovatore
John Baril, conductor
Joachim Schamberger, stage director

Cast includes Jonathan Burton as Manrico, Alexandra Loutsion as Leonora, Michael Mayes as Count di Luna and Maria Zifchak as Azucena.

Matinees at 2:30 p.m.: July 18, 22, 24, 28; Aug. 1, 3
Evenings at 8 p.m.: July 14, 20, 26
Central City Opera House

Performed in Italian with English supertitles.

Handel: Acis and Galatea
Christopher Zemliauskas, conductor
Ken Cazan, director

Cast includes artists of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program

July 25, 28 and Aug. 1 at 8 p.m.
July 26 at 5 p.m.
Venue in Central City TBA

Performed in English.

Henry Mollicone: The Face on the Barroom Floor, 40^th-Anniversary Production
Michael Ehrman, head of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program, director

Cast includes artists of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program

July 25, 28 and Aug. 1, 2, 3 at 1:15 p.m.
Venue in Central City TBA

Performed in English.

For tickets and more information about the 2018 summer season, visit the Central City Opera Web page, or call (303) 292-6700.