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Life & Arts

Moores opens its curtains for 'Cherubin'

Romantic comedy will run through Monday at the Opera House

by MAI BUI
The Daily Cougar

Houston does get boring from time to time. The weather has been too unpredictable to go to the beach, movies have been far from exciting and drinking is getting expensive. So why not try something different? Why not try the opera?

Why not try the Moores School of Music's presentation of Chérubin?

Massenet's sequel to Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Chérubin, or Cherubino in Italian, follows the title character through his many adventures as he attempts to woo numerous women at the same time.

Cherubin begins its run at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Moores Opera House. The production will also be shown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.

"It's basically a romantic comedy; it's a very lively piece yet there's an element of romance in it. There's a balcony scene that rivals Romeo and Juliet or Cyrano de Bergerac," Buck Ross, professor and director of the Moores Opera Center, said.

Each year, the school chooses four operas for its season. Decisions on which operas will be chosen depend on the cast from the general audition, which is held at the start of the fall semester.

"Students do a general audition for the season. We then look at everybody that we have and then pick the operas based on that. The requirements are so specific for any given opera; it's like an athletic thing, either you can do the high jump or you can't," Ross said. "So we have to know what skills we have and what character types and that sort of things before we can commit to what work we're going to do."

Chérubin is the last opera production for the season. It's sung entirely in French -- subtitles will be projected on an overhead screen.

To Ross, going to the opera is like going to the movie.

"One of the great misconceptions about the opera is that it's something that you need to know something about before you come," Ross said. "You don't need to know anything. 

"You don't need to know a word of French, you don't need to know anything about the music, you just come and you enjoy it as an entertainment."

What's even better, Ross said, is that the thrill of a live performance is as good as it can get.

"The whole sound experience of having a live orchestra is a lot different from what you're getting on your iPod. One of the great things about opera is that the level of emotional impact is tremendous," Ross said. "There's a great thrill in it all, and yet at the same time it's like watching a sporting event. So much of what these singers are doing is athletic.

"There's also a certain amount of thrill in hearing them sing like that because there is something rather superhuman about what they are being asked to do."

So this weekend, instead of going to the movies to see American Pie 12, try something different. Try the Moores production of Chérubin.

Cherubin

Showing Friday through Monday
Moores Opera House
Admission for students is $10

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