Transgressive Theatre-Opera to Present THE MALIGNED MEZZO in Time for Halloween

Transgressive Theatre-Opera announces a concert dedicated to the operatically misrepresented mezzo-soprano voice, The Maligned Mezzo.

From the very beginnings of opera and on through the ages, classical composers have given the alto roles to the Fiends:

- Humperdinck made her a child-eating witch.
- Verdi made her a child-burning witch.
- Bizet gave her evil flower power, and even Sondheim insisted that you should never, ever, ever mess around with her magic beans.

From girls dressed as boys dressed as girls, from handmaidens to spinsters, from harridan to the second nun from the left, altos have always played second fiddle to their squeaky soprano sisters.

Chicago's finest mezzo-sopranos will sing famous also arias written for the disadvantaged, maniacal, and breast-bound, aided by the hysterical and historical narration of Producing Artistic Director Aaron Hunt.

Artists scheduled to appear include EeMing Chua, Marissa Simmons, Marysa Abbas, Susan Gosdick, Erin Moll, Victoria Offutt, Margaret Stoltz, Jori Jennings, Denise Knowlton, Katherine Dalin, Libby Randolph, and Catherine Thompson.

Tickets for The Maligned Mezzo are already on sale at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2597069, or by calling (800) 838-3006. With singing witches aplenty, The Maligned Mezzo will play just in time for Halloween on October 29 in the sanctuary of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W Foster Ave, with musical direction and accompaniment by Sarah Jenks. The ticket price is $17.00.

Music that is as spoken as it is sung. Spoken text so evocative and lyrical that it sings. These are the tools for the type of storytelling that Transgressive Theatre-Opera offers, as envisioned and executed by artists from multiple disciplines: the soul-painters who can imagine and create the productions, and the performers who can inhabit the characters with fulsome artistic sensibilities. As the line between theatre and music theatre continues to blur, a new lyric theatre is emerging, unhampered by labels and preconceived notions of ownership. Transgressive Theatre-Opera is excited to be part of the change.

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