Photo Flash: Pittsburgh Opera Theater's EURIDICE AND ORPHEUS Brought to Life in Historic Allegheny Cemetery 6/9 - 6/11

The Opera Theater of Pittsburgh's unique rendition of EURIDICE AND ORPHEUS ran June 9th through June 11th as an open-air production in Pittsburgh's famous Allegheny Cemetery. Featuring music and libretto by Ricky Ian Gordon (DREAM TRUE, THE GRAPES OF WRATH), the affecting opera marked the company's third collaboration to date with dance-oriented Attack Theatre.

This production of EURIDICE AND ORPHEUS was by no means a traditional theatergoing experience: directed and designed by Jonathan Eaton, the opera was staged on and around the lake in the ever-historic Allegheny Cemetery, with general admission seating on the lawn and reserved seats along the sidewalk. Audience members who did not opt for reserved seating brought blankets and some even arrived early to dine before the performance, creating a lovely, ambient pre-show atmosphere.

Composer Ricky Ian Gordon himself was on hand for the final performance on June 11th to say a few words about his piece: EURIDICE AND ORPHEUS was largely inspired by the unfortunate loss of his partner to AIDS some years ago. Based loosely on the similarly named Greek myth - particularly in its tragic ending - the poignant opera illustrates the demise of love and the birth of art through suffering.

Written simply for piano and two clarinets, Mr. Gordon's libretto was performed with sweet gusto by soprano Laura Knoop Very, who served as Euridice's voice and the evening's overarching storyteller. The production also featured Attack Theatre's own Liz Chang (Euridice) and Dane Toney (Orpheus), whose impassioned tête-à-tête around (and in, with the aid of floating platforms) the lake truly brought the story to life through Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza's stirring choreography. Moreover, the locale itself only enhanced the tender work all the more, as the wind rustling through the trees and a gorgeously timed background sunset were just a few of the ornamental benefits of the show's open-air staging.

Such a site-specific piece of theatre truly made for an evening to remember: after all, how often can one claim to have attended an opera whose only interruption was a flock of ducks innocently paddling across the performance space? Though as they so famously say, the show must go on - ducks and all. And so it did.

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