Reporters Notebook

A novice’s guide to
opera, Glimmerglass style

As a 30-something Oneonta resident who arrived from Brooklyn three months ago, it can be somewhat difficult finding things to do that don’t involve sitting at home and watching endless amounts of anime (for more information on this, see my previous column).

However, one of the first things I heard about upon arriving in Oneonta, and since I also spend a lot of time at The Freeman’s Journal office in Cooperstown, was The Glimmerglass Festival.

The Glimmerglass Festival, for those of you who might not be aware, hosts musicals, predominantly operas, at their huge property in Cooperstown. In response to COVID, they are having “Glimmerglass on the Grass,” where shows are set on a large outdoor stage and where attendees can bring lawn chairs, snacks, wine or whatever else to enjoy the show.

I had an opportunity to go to one of these performances. It was “Songbird,” which is adapted from La Perichole and created by Eric Sean Fogel, James Lowe and Kelley Rourke.

I didn’t do a lot of research prior to attending this performance, because I had never attended an opera before and I wanted to go in with an open mind. The Glimmerglass staff made things easy for me though because they helped direct my car to suitable parking and made it easy to find my spot.

I was given a square socially distanced from other squares. I sat with a water bottle in one hand and my notebook in the other. The scenery at the outdoor stage was beautiful. It put me in a nostalgic mood from the time when I used to watch my aunt perform on outdoor stages on Long Island during summer stock.

I was already in a good mood by the time the play started and then I was delightfully surprised by the music that went along with the play.

The theme of the music is 1920s-style jazz and ragtime, which makes sense considering the play takes place in the 1920s at a speakeasy in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I’ve always had a soft spot for this type of music. It makes me feel like I’m James Cagney somewhere during the Prohibition Era.

The play, co-directed by Fogel and Francesca Zambello, is about an artistic couple who are sick of being poor. One of them, Songbird, is approached by the mayor and offered a chance to be installed in his mansion. However, in order for this to appear innocent, they decide to marry her to a man, who just so happens to be Piquillo, Songbird’s partner!

The spoken dialogue was almost entirely in English, however, the lyrics sometimes jumped to French. There was a screen near the stage with translations, but in my opinion it is better just to try to listen as best you can.

Some of the other attendees around me were drinking wine and seemed to be having a good time, with the comedy of the opera occasionally drawing laughter from the crowd.

The music is the draw for this play, as it is important for all musicals and operas. The music is conducted by James Lowe and he does a fantastic job. During the performance the orchestra was not visible but could still be heard.

The weather mostly held up, but it did rain heavily for a very short time during the performance. Most of the attendees were prepared with ponchos. I was the only one who wasn’t, apparently, but mercifully the rain didn’t last long.

The play went on for about an hour. I was surprised by how short it was. However, I can’t say that this hour wasn’t a good use of my time. I thought to myself often how cool it was that I was able to see and hear something like this near where I work and live and I vowed to do it again sometime.

Other operas that are being performed at the Festival this summer include “The Magic Flute,” “To the World,” “Il Trovatore,” and “Gods and Mortals.”

Go to www.Glimmerglass.org for more information.