Deb Proby, manager of the Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt, is about to host the last opera in the second season of high definition (HD) performances transmitted by satellite from The Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center. As the performance takes place on the New York stage, it is beamed out live, reaching 600 participating venues on four continents.When fans attend the show at the Raven's Cry this Saturday at 10:30 a.m., CBC TV's The National will also be there to film the audience and capture just how successful opera-at-the-movies has been in rural communities.
Donata Chruscicki, producer of The National, said the Vancouver camera crew does not want to intrude on audience pleasure, so will probably film as crowds arrive, possibly speak to a few people, show the audience settling in and a bit of the performance, then depart. The National will be filming the same scene in Halifax, N.S., to give a sense of how the show is received in cities without a local opera company. The National's broadcast of the story is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 2, during National Scene by arts reporter Sandra Abma.
Proby believes that the Raven's Cry is possibly the smallest cinema on the planet to show the operas and that it is unique in its independent arrangement. These screenings were recommended to her by Frances Heinsheimer Wainwright, artistic director of the Coast Recital Society, who thought it would be a good way to bring opera to the Coast. Proby acted quickly to contact The Met and secure the rights. Just after the Raven's Cry signed on, Cineplex locked in their own deal to provide all other cinemas with the screenings, except for the Raven's Cry.
Screening HD required essential improvements in the theatre's sound quality, Proby said, and the installation of a satellite dish.
In all, it's been a successful venture, especially for opera fans, and Proby is looking forward to the next season's 10 performances, starting in November.
"The opera audience loves it," said Proby. "We are thanked all the time." However, the theatre is rarely full. La Bohème, the popular opera by Puccini, attracted 220 people, the biggest audience so far.
Peter Grimes, a contemporary opera in English, was the biggest hit of the season as far as enjoyment, and the lengthiest, Tristan und Isolde, with its five hours running time, drew only 60 people.
Proby has some concerns about attracting enough audience for the performance tomorrow. La Fille du Régiment by Gaetano Donizetti is not a well known opera, even though this new production was called "the operatic show of the season" by London-based newspaper The Times when it opened at Covent Garden this past winter. The opera features Natalie Dessay, coloratura, as Marie, and the handsome Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, showcasing his remarkable musicality. The opera has been described as "the Mount Everest for tenors" because of the proliferating high Cs that Florez will conquer. It is directed by Laurent Pelly with conductor Marco Armiliato, and it also boasts stage legend and four-time Tony Award winner Zoe Caldwell as the Duchess of Krakenthorp. It is sung in French with subtitles. Approximate running time is two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.
Ticket prices are $22 (14 to 64 years) and $18 senior/child (under 13 or over 65). If you think that's a lot of money, consider that a ticket to The Met in New York would cost about $295 for an orchestra seat and $80 for a balcony seat - that's if they are not sold out already, as they are for Saturday's performance. Tickets are available at the Augusta Grill at the Sechelt Golf and Country Club (days) and the Raven's Cry (evenings) and at the door while available.
