
It’s like a family reunion but with people I like.” “We’re not accomplishing anything in rehearsals - we’re giggling and telling stories. “Christopher McBeth does a great job of bringing people back he likes as artists but also likes as people, so this cast, we’re like besties,” she said.

“It’s nice to present a variety and to participate in a variety.”Ĭook and the other lead roles have worked together in previous Utah Opera performances, making rehearsing for this final production a family reunion of sorts, according to mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis, who, in a bit of gender-bending casting, plays the role of Prince Orlofsky. When you see the tragedy of ‘La Boheme’ then … see ‘Die Fledermaus,’ it gives you a chance to escape the world and just laugh all night,” he said. “Seeing ‘Die Fledermaus’ makes ‘La Boheme’ feel more poignant. Cook looks forward to his second appearance in the company’s 40th season, this time in a more frivolous role. Recent Utah Opera attendees might recognize Falke, played by baritone Troy Cook, who unexpectedly filled the role of Marcello in this season’s opening production of “La Boheme,” when the original performer had a last-minute illness.

That party takes the form of “Die Fledermaus,” or “The Bat,” which features Falke seeking revenge on his friend Eisenstein, who abandoned him after a debaucherous evening and left him passed out and alone on a park bench while dressed in a bat costume.įalke’s vengeful plan? Have the affluent Prince Orlofsky host a masquerade ball where Einsentein’s flirtatious nature will be put to the test when he meets a beautiful Hungarian woman - who is actually his wife, Rosalinde, in disguise.
