Fort Worth Opera

John Brook courts Meg in the opera Little Women
(Photo courtesy of Minnesota Opera.)

Little Women Mark Adamo

Based on the timeless novel, Little Women makes its Metroplex premiere

More than a century after its publication, Louisa May Alcott’s chronicle of growing up female in Civil-War Era New England remains an indispensable part of American popular fiction. Hollywood has filmed the piece four times in 60 years and the book has been produced in over 100 languages.

In spite of the book’s success, Little Women has materialized on the lyric stage only five times before Mark Adamo’s operatic version, none of which were successful. As of this email, a brand new musical bearing the Little Women title is previewing on Broadway starring Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Maureen McGovern. While reviews are not available yet, according to Playbill News, the creators of the new project are seeking to avoid “indulgent sentimentality” – a point on which Adamo agrees. When considering the book for the topic of his first opera, Adamo studied the previous versions and came to the conclusion that to successfully translate Little Women onto the stage, he needed to identify the conflict in the story that both challenged Jo and engaged all her sisters beyond the midpoint of the story.

So what is the conflict in Little Women? According to Adamo, it is “Jo versus the passage of time.” Unlike many adolescent protagonists in classic American fiction, Jo is happy where she is. Adored by her family, she adores them in return. She knows that adulthood will only graduate her from her perfect home, however. She fights her own and her sisters’ growth because she knows, deep down, that growing up means growing apart.

“ Jo spends half of the book screaming No! Don’t change!” says Adamo. This theme is perhaps one of the reasons for the book’s enduring popularity. As Adamo points out, “Who among us, at the pinnacle of a perfect moment, has not prayed for the clock to stop?”

Little Women, the opera, first appeared on the stage in March 1998 at the Opera Studio of Houston Grand Opera. Upon seeing it, David Gockley, General Director of Houston Grand Opera, decided it was destined to be an American classic and scheduled it for a premiere on Houston Grand Opera’s mainstage in March 2000. The opera was also featured on PBS’s Great Performances. Fort Worth Opera’s production of Little Women, in January, will be the Metroplex premiere.

Like the book, the opera centers around Jo. It opens in the attic of the March home, where Jo is reminiscing about life with her sisters, Meg, Beth, and Amy. She decides her childhood “was truly perfect-perfect as it was.” She fervently resisted change and wanted her family to do the same. But as the girls matured, the strong-willed Jo had to come to terms with the inevitable changes that come with time…new loves, marriages, births, and even death. She learns to be grateful for the “sisterhood of summer,” even though it’s past, and to cherish her life as it is.

Little Women ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet the composer and hear his perspective on the opera. Mark Adamo will make a special guest appearance during the regularly scheduled pre-performance preview on Friday, January 7, 2005 at 7 pm at Bass Performance Hall. Pre-performance previews are conducted by Dr. Punch Shaw beginning one hour before every show and are free to anyone who has a ticket to that production, regardless of the day. No reservation is required.

Performances of Little Women are in English and will be at 8pm on Friday, January 7, and 2pm on Sunday January 9, 2005. Individual tickets range from $18 to $125, with discounts available to Fort Worth Star-Telegram Press Pass holders, KERA members, students and military personnel. More details about Little Women, including a complete synopsis and cast, are available on the company’s website at www.fwopera.org.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Students and military personnel receive 50% off any available seats at the door with proper ID.

NEED A UNIQUE GIFT?
What about opera in Bass Hall? Fort Worth Opera has decorative gift certificates/tickets available for:

Little Women Mark Adamo, January 7 & 9, 2005 Tosca Giacomo Puccini, March 11 & 13, 2005 Mini-season -- a discounted package of both Cash value in the amount of your choice

Call Mary at 817.731.0726 to purchase your gifts today.

Fort Worth Opera's Calendar of Performances for the 2004/05 Season

Darren Keith Woods, Fort Worth Opera’s General Director, announced the lineup of his third complete season in Fort Worth. The opera’s 2004/05 Season will open with Strauss’ Salome in November, followed by Mark Adamo’s Little Women in January; the company will close its season in March with Puccini’s Tosca (see detailed descriptions below). These selections reflect the company’s mission to “expand the horizons of current and future audiences through variety and artistic integrity.”

The company has also decided to trim its season from four operas to three and to cut its Tuesday evening performances for the next two seasons in an effort to maintain productions of the highest quality while working to stabilize the company financially. “We have solid plans to expand in 2006/2007,” said Woods. “Instead of struggling along for the next several years trying to produce quantity, we decided to cut back for now and focus our efforts on fundraising and producing operas of the highest quality – just fewer of them.”

The company sites the economy, price increases, and several one-time hits to the budget connected to former employees and contractors. “Like almost every other company out there,” continues Woods, “the past couple of years have been rough on us. Even if the economy recovers tomorrow, it will take some time before many donors will feel secure enough to resume or increase their level of giving.”

Increasing its donor base will be a primary focus for Woods and his team over the next few years in preparation for an expansion. “We’ve proven we are serious about putting on quality opera in Fort Worth,” said Woods. “We are beginning to receive national attention as an opera company of note. But quality is expensive and we’ll be asking local donors for more support.”

Fort Worth Opera saw a slight increase (2 percent) in subscribers for the 2003/2004 Season – a number that had been steadily declining since 1998. The company failed to reach its optimistic subscription sales goal by 12 percent; but exceeded single ticket sales goals for Rigoletto (September) by 8 percent. Final numbers for Pirates of Penzance are not in, but as of January 12, 2004, the company had exceeded its single ticket sales goal by 31 percent and were still selling tickets for the January 13th performance of the show. Turn of the Screw (November), while reaching critical acclaim, did not sell as well as expected, missing its goal by 24 percent.

Season subscription renewals for 2004/2005 begin this week; new subscription sales will begin in March following the company’s production of Italian Girl in Algiers (March 19, 21 & 23). Those wishing to subscribe or seeking more information can call (817) 731-0726 or visit the Fort Worth Opera Website at www.fwopera.org. Single tickets go on sale August 1, 2004 and can be purchased through the website or by calling toll-free (877) 212-4280.

Fort Worth Opera’s Calendar of Performances for the 2004/05 Season

Music and libretto by Richard Strauss. Based on the play by Oscar Wilde.

November 12, 2004 at 8 pm
November 14, 2004 at 2 pm
Bass Performance Hall

Performed in German with projected English Translations

What to expect: A relatively short for opera, it only has one act and is 110 minutes in length. Beautiful, classical music; shocking tale, based on the biblical story of John the Baptist’s execution.

Story: Salome, a pretty, but troubled, teenager, has a crush on the imprisoned John the Baptist; he wants nothing to do with her. King Herod, Salome’s stepfather, promises to give her anything she wants if she will dance for him. Salome agrees and performs the seductive “Dance of the Seven Veils” for the King. At the end of her dance, she demands John’s head on a silver platter. Herod is appalled, but eventually agrees to keep his promise. When the head is delivered, Salome kisses the lips and sings about how beautiful it is. Disgusted at this display, the King orders his men to execute her.

Season tickets: available to public on March 24, 2004 $43-$319 (817) 731-0726 or www.fwopera.org
Single tickets: available on August 1, 2004 $18-$125 Student discounts available. Toll-free (877) 212-4280 or www.fwopera.org.

Notes: Traditional staging and sets. The last time FWO produced Salome was in 1974. offers a free preview one hour prior to each performance.

Directed by David Gately. Conducted by Joseph Illick.
Primary Cast: Sue Patchell (Salome), Allan Glassman (Herrod), Bradley Garvin (Jokanaan – John the Baptist), Katherine Ciesinski (Herodias)

Music and libretto by Mark Adamo

January 7, 2005 at 8 pm
January 9, 2005 at 2 pm
Bass Performance Hall

Performed in English

What to expect: The Metroplex premier of this new opera based on the classic, heart-warming story by Louisa May Alcott.

Story: As Jo, a young woman in Civil-war era New England, reminisces about life with her sisters, Meg, Beth, and Amy, she decides it “was truly perfect – perfect as it was.” She fervently resisted change and wanted her family to do the same. But as the girls matured, the strong-willed Jo had to come to terms with the inevitable changes that come with time…new loves, marriages, births, and even death. She learns to be grateful for the “sisterhood of summer,” even though it’s past, and to cherish her life as it is.

Season tickets: available to public on March 24, 2004 $43-$319 (817) 731-0726 or www.fwopera.org
Single tickets: available on August 1, 2004 $18-$125 Student discounts available. Toll-free (877) 212-4280 or www.fwopera.org.

Notes: Completed in 1998, the opera was premiered by the Opera Studio of Houston Grand Opera. Houston Grand Opera’s Mainstage production of the piece in March 2000 was featured in 2001 as one of PBS’s Great Performances. FWO offers a free preview one hour prior to each performance.

Directed by David Gately. Conducted by Christopher Larkin.
Primary cast: Jennifer Dudley (Jo), Sandra Piques Eddy (Meg), Tawny Seward (Beth), Coral Owdom (Amy), Benjamin Bunsold (Laurie), Daniel Belcher (John Brooke). Updated: The part of Friedrich Bhaer was to be performed by the 2003 McCammon Vocal Competition winner, Erik Nelson Werner. At his request, Werner is now scheduled for the 2005-2006 Season. Daniel Okulitch will now be performing the role of Friedrich Bhaer.

Music by Giacomo Puccini; libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica.

March 11, 2005 at 8 pm
March 13, 2005 at 2 pm
Bass Performance Hall

Performed in Italian with projected English translations

What to expect: Fabulous Puccini melodies; heart wrenching and engaging story

Story: Floria Tosca, a beautiful opera singer, is in love with Cavaradossi, an artist and a man who has just aided an escaped political prisoner. The police chief, Scarpia, a loathsome and cruel man, learns of Cavaradossi’s aid to the prisoner and devises a plan to get rid of him and capture Tosca for himself. He tortures Cavaradossi and arranges his execution, telling Tosca that he will spare Cavaradossi’s life if she sleeps with him. She reluctantly agrees, but then stabs him as he approaches her. She believes that she and Cavaradossi are now free, but she has gravely underestimated Scarpia’s villainy.

Season tickets: available to public on March 24, 2004 $43-$319 (817) 731-0726 or www.fwopera.org
Single tickets: available on August 1, 2004 $18-$125 Student discounts available. Toll-free (877) 212-4280 or www.fwopera.org.

Notes: Traditional staging and set. Last produced by the company in 1999. FWO offers a free preview one hour prior to each performance.

Directed by Jay Lesenger. Conducted by Ward Holmquist.
Primary Cast: Carter Scott (Tosca), James Cornelison (Cavaradossi), Michael Chioldi (Scarpia)