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Show ‘Widow’ closes Utah Opera season On a merry note production’s costume budget is easily BYCATHERINE REESE NEWTON double their average. “I have seen some THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE , “The Merry Widow” will be one of Utah Opera’s biggest shows ever. Consider the costume inventory: with that, but this has to be donefull-tilt, mg first-rate.” Utah Opera’s “Merry Widow,” which opens Saturday in the Capitol Theatre, ‘Twenty male chorus members in ethnic costumes. Six soldiers. Twenty female chorus members with three costumes tumes. Lotfi Mansouri, general director of the San Francisco Opera, is stage di- apiece, plus hats, plus earrings, gloves, necklaces and fans. Six female dancers with four costumes apiece — and don’t forget the hats. Six male dancers. One costume for chief can-can girl Zo-Zo, for is a new production, meaning the company constructed new sets and cos- rector; he was cooking up a new pro- duction of the Lehar operetta for that company with set designer Michael Yeargan and costume designer Thierry Bosquet when Ewers approached him good measure. Thenthere are six nons- about a Salt Lake “Merry Widow.” He inging supernumeraries with three cos- persuaded the illustrious designers to let Utah Opera use their designs, albeit tumes each. “I drew theline there!”said Utah Opera costume-shop manager Rose Brown. The costumes for the “supers” wure pulled from existing inventory, as were nine sets of tails for the male leads, 20 sets for the male chorus members and six sets for the male dancers. The rest — all 149 of them — were built in Utah Opera’s costume shop, as were 144 hats. { t half-baked productions. There are certain operettas where you can get away “Merry Widow’ was always something I've felt had to be done on a grand ona smallerscale, because the Capitol’s stage is much smaller than the one at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House.(As for the costumes, Ewers said it was more cost-effective for the company to construct them itself and then rent them outto other companies, rather thanrent from San Francisco.) “It’s a total concept,” Brown said. “They are very lush designs, very extravagant. scale,” said Utah Opera general director Anne Ewers, who noted that this Steve Griffin / The Salt LakeTribune See WIDOW,Page D-5 The widow Hanna Glawari (Pamela Armstrong), flanked by Danilo Danilovitch (Louis Otey,left) and Baron Zeta (Donald Sherrill). Louisville’s Forum for Serious Drama The Humana Festival showcasesthe best in new American theater BY CELIA R. BAKER ee managers and theater groupies, all eager to get the first look at the fu- mana Festival of New American g0tetoaproduct ofthefestival three pe aes TRE LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Hu- Plays is to Kentucky what the Sundan¢e Film Festival is to Utah: a times; each year new works enter the’ canon of significant American taken, theatrical boundaries are stretched; aridthe unknown can be. year’s Humana offerings might eventually make their way to Salt plage where artistic chances are come the wellknown. For “theater people,” it’s theplace to be. ‘rangingfrom prom. a” three groomsbreathe their last in a scene from Charles Mee's bloodthirsty romantic comedy “Big Love,” at the Humana Festival for New American Plays. ture ofAmerican theater. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama has inent to never-steard-of, mingle ina colorful crowd that includes agents, critics, journalists, dramatic literature. Some of this LakeCity stages. Stephen Bel- ber's “Tape” exploresloyalty ae and betrayal as It has happened before. Richard Dresser’s “Gun‘Shy,” Playing theater at Salt Lake ‘ trays currently it examines the Acting motivesof memory — and See HUMANA,Page D-3 Memorex. Friday, May 12 + AbravanelHall, 8 p.m. TRUNK SHOWS SATURDAY MAY 13th IENS AND WOMENS KENNITH COLE uck, Mangione One Night Only with the Utah Symphony! Bundit Ungrangsee, conductor Big ver THE ADVENTURES OF Huckleberry Finn APRIL 26 TO MAY 13, 2000 Music & Lyrics by Roger Miller Book By William Haupeman Chuck Mangione has been “King ofthe Horn”since his album Land of MakeBelieve and the single Feels So Good topped the charts in the 70s. Hear himrevivehis favorite \ hits with the Utah \ Symphonyinthis \.\. Special Event! ‘Twain's Americanclassic is brought beautifully to life in this Tony Award-winning musical. They're all here — Huck, Jim, Pap, the Duke and Tom Sawyer — in a show for people of all ages. One of the most popular & Fmusicals bver produced by PTC, Big River returng in an encore presentationfilled with magic and music. PIONEER ttt intrmin ot tatsssy THEATRE 582-6961 $s wank, COMPANY wwpicwtahedu Cane Major underwriting support for Buss svn it providedby a pencrous grantfrom the Emma Fecle Jones Foundation "UTAH S YMPHONY Keith Loekhart, Music Director |
