West Edge Opera

I just saw their production of LULU (Alban Berg) staged at the old West Oakland abandoned train station. Amazing work, amazing cast –the young soprano was vocally top notch and amazingly perfect for the part –and a very difficult part it is. Considering where this production was staged (a decayed old building in the middle of nowhere Oakland) I have to admire too the organization around it, and how it all went smoothly. Plus: we had great seats at a ticket price the SF Opera has long forgotten. It was a night to remember, an evening rich in creativity, enthusiasm on all sides, no nonsense, and music beautifully rendered. The event ended up being sold out, may I add, and I say to that: thankgod for creativity and quality well rewarded!

I doubt that you have been missing my West Edge Opera review. I first posted it on 8÷8÷2010. The review has been happily dozing away in the innards of the vast Unilocal network. (There are several other reviews for the opera, all of which are quite good.)
Should you have been looking for it last week, however, you would not have been able to find it. It was removed as a violation of Terms of Service. (A TOS for those of you who know Unilocal.)
So…to dispel the mystery about the contents of this review, I am reposting it in entirety. I have no connect to West Edge Opera, enjoyed the performance, gave it five stars. Nothing more simple.
Here it is:
This afternoon we saw the final performance of Richard Wagner’s Legend of the RIng. It was adapted by David Seaman into a three hour performance. It was stupendous.
Let me break down the stars:
1) We walked to the new El Cerrito Performing Arts Theatre. One big hurrah for having this state of the art theater so close to our house that we will never, ever, have to worry about parking.
2) The stars. That is, the performing stars. Fresh from productions in Seattle, San Francisco, The Met, and various European cities… these opera singers are just that. Opera SIngers. Not namby-​pamby wannabe choristers, these folks resonate, project, slide effortlessly up and down the scale. In a word, they made the show.
3) The sets. Amazingly projected computerized scenery with clearly visible visual subtitles. The whole production was simple, amazing and very, very professional.
4) The orchestra. HIdden away from sight, their music was beautifully played with nary a false sound. Very professional
5) Mark Streshinsky’s lecture before the performance. Funny, articulate, informative. And professionally delivered. And local, he’s an ECHS grad. Did I mention
professional? He is…
The sum total: Five stars and then some. Catch the opera for next season. You’ll enjoy it, even if you’ve never been to the opera before.
Oh, and the price. We sat in the balcony. Great seats, no straining to hear or see. $ 25 bucks.
We are so proud that they’ve moved to El Cerrito and hope the company stays here forever!

I had no idea there even was a Berkeley Opera until I read this article in the newspaper:
I grew up w/​opera on the radio. My mother listened to the Met every Saturday morning. I’ve seen several over the years and enjoyed them but am not what I would call an opera buff. Alan has never been to an opera, but when he read the article we agreed we wanted to see Berkeley Opera’s production of «Don Giovanni». Having the production at the new Performing Arts Theatre at El Cerrito High made it really convenient. We bought tickets for today’s production.
We arrived and I sat and watched people gather while Alan stood in line to get our tickets. It was a very diverse audience w/​a lot of grey haired folks, a surprisingly large number of youngsters, plus a good number of the middle aged too. We were seated upstairs in the first row of the balcony. The seats were comfortable and leg room was adequate. There was a screen for Supertitles which was cool, although it did interfere a bit w/​our view of the Commendatore’s statue at the end. The temperature in the balcony was uncomfortably warm in the beginning but they were able to address that and it became much more comfortable once they did.
The production was fantastic. The voices were excellent, as was the orchestra. The staging was bare-​bones, but was effective. We were very impressed w/​the quality. The opera was lively, moving and accessible. Not only was the singing first rate, but the acting was as well. We both enjoyed it, although Alan was unable to sit through three hours and decided to leave at intermission after an hour and three quarters, but that had to do w/​him rather than the production. He came back to pick me up afterward. I’m attaching the newspaper review of the production for more detail, although I disagree w/​the reviewer’s statement that the costumes were tawdry. I thought they were just fine.

Just saw Don Giovanni last night. First, my wife and I WALKED to the opera. Can’t beat that. Second, I enjoyed the slim budget staging of a good opera. Very funny; very engaging; good singing. I cannot wait for the rest of the 2010 season.

I’m getting into opera, but am no expert. I like music of all types, and don’t really like standard musical theater (i.e. Broadway). Given that, I think Berkeley Opera is awesome. The acting was good, the singing great, the venue was quality, the orchestra was decent, and the price for student rush couldn’t be beat. There’s even non-​student rush for those of us who eventually graduate! To get rush tix, I suggest going about 20 minutes before they open the box office (which they do 1 hour before curtain).
Update: in their new location in El Cerrito High, Berkeley Opera is even better. It may feel strange to go see Opera in a high school auditorium rather than a more «classy» theater space such as their old haunt, Julia Morgan center. However, this is one classy high school auditorium! It’s an even nicer place to watch a performance than Zellerbach hall! (nothing but love to the Golden Bears).