‘El Gato con Botas’ connected opera novices and lovers

By Libby D’Orvilliers

Let me keep this one short and sweet: everyone should support Westminster Opera Theatre and attend at least one of their opera productions during their time at Rider. Going to the opera can certainly sound intimidating to many college students. You might imagine having to get those little spectacles and sitting through aria after aria where each performer stands still, center stage in a spotlight and belts their heart out in a foreign language. Prior to actually going to the operas at Rider, I was right there with you.

I have made it a point to go to at least one opera production here at Rider every academic year. I remember coming in as a freshman and being blown away by the fact that I could go see a performance for only $5 with my student ID, so I figured why not spend an afternoon at the theater and expose myself to a different kind of art than I am used to? As you can likely tell by the way this article is going, I was captured by this art form.

In my time at Rider so far, I have seen several opera productions, including, “Cendrillon,” “The Medium” and “Suor Angelica and Hermit Songs,” to name a few. This weekend I had the pleasure of adding to this list by attending “El Gato con Botas” in the Yvonne Theater.

This recent production, with musical direction by Susan Shiplett Ashbaker and stage direction by Michelle Eugene, was the perfect example of how opera is not just watching someone stand center stage and belt aria after aria. “El Gato con Botas” was lively, engaging and not what most people would expect when they hear the word “opera.” 

The production featured two exemplary casts, one that performed on Friday evening, and one that performed the Saturday matinee. The vocal talents of these students is in and of itself worthy of standing ovations and high praise, but it would be remiss if I were to not acknowledge the incredible stage presence and physicality.

At several points the audience were laughing out loud at the witty lines and physical comedy. For example, the character of El ogro, a castle-dwelling and rather egotistical ogre, who was played by senior vocal performance major Grisha Ivanov in both showings, had audiences chuckling from the moment he stepped on stage in full green makeup and hulking presence.

The opera also featured junior musical theater majors Landon Winslow and Leah Miller and sophomore Trevor McCutchen as dancers who brought even more energy into the show and helped make the transition between each scene seamless. 

Another aspect of Westminster Opera Theatre’s performances that make them so valuable to audiences is that they most often feature a “talk-back” with the cast, where audience members are encouraged to ask questions about the production or production process. Being a novice to opera, this is an invaluable aspect of the experience that I always learn something from.

A barrier I want to address that I think might prevent a lot of people from attending operas is that they are often in languages other than English. I just want to stress that this should not be a reason that keeps you from attending. “El Gato con Botas” was presented in Spanish; however, with the English supertitles and emotive expressions of the performers, I had no trouble following along and understanding what was happening in each scene.

Needless to say, everyone should go attend an opera, or several operas, at Rider and support the prestigious Westminster Choir College and the high-quality work they produce.

Libby D’Orvilliers is a senior psychology major