TAKE A PAWS
Pacific Opera Project (POP) is serving up six spooky performances of the world premiere of LA-based composer Brooke deRosa’s The Monkey’s Paw. This is the company’s first presentation of a world premiere opera, and it is paired with Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, one of his best works. Performances begin tonight, October 27, at The Highland Park Ebell Club and continue the following weekend at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica. To whet your appetite, here are the new production photos.
Both operas feature spooky stories about the paranormal, just in time for Halloween. deRosa’s The Monkey’s Paw is based on W. W. Jacobs’s 1902 supernatural short story, in which three wishes are granted to the holder of a monkey’s hand; the wishes come true with a tremendous price for meddling with fate. The Medium is a two-act, one-hour opera about a paranoid alcoholic medium who holds a fake séance and is surprised when she actually feels a phantom hand clutching her throat.
Cast members for The Medium include Maria Lopez (Madame Flora), Chelsea Friedlander (Monica), Marina Harris (Mrs. Gobineau), Ariel Pisturino (Mrs. Nolan), Phil Meyer (Mr. Gobineau), and David Childs (Toby). Cast members for The Monkey’s Paw include Marina Harris (Mother), Phil Meyer (Father), William Grundler (Herbert), Ben Lowe (Sgt. Major), and David Childs (Carriage Driver). The operas are sung in English, and are led by Music Director Douglas Sumi and directed by Artistic Director Josh Shaw.
HERE ARE THE MEDIUM PHOTOS
HERE ARE THE MONKEY’S PAW PHOTOS
photos by Martha Benedict
The Medium & The Monkey’s Paw
Pacific Opera Project
sung in English
The Highland Park Ebell Club, October 27, 28, and 31 at 8
Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica, Nov, 3 and 4 at 8; Nov 5 at 3
for tickets, call 323-739-6122 or visit POP
