"The concept of ‘revisiting’ is much on my mind these days. We all have a cherished person, place, or thing we love coming back to, experiencing again…and again."

As I write this, we’re just diving into rehearsals for HOT’s production of The Riot Grrrl on Mars, a hilarious English adaptation of Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algieri created by librettist David Scott Marley. Indeed, the chorus started up last week under the guidance of Nola Nāhulu, artists arrived yesterday, and rehearsals begin today!

It is beyond exciting, seeing the workings of the entire Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre staff, designers, and production team doing what makes us a professional opera company: producing opera! The fact that I’m also directing this one – my first for the company – makes it even more meaningful to me.

[And believe me when I say that doesn’t mean I’m any less proud of our Education team who just got back from touring our Opera Express show, Crab & Needlefish, to Maui and are now back in schools on Oahu for our residency program.]

The concept of ‘revisiting’ is much on my mind these days. We all have a cherished person, place, or thing we love coming back to, experiencing again…and again. Family and friends. Our hometown, alma mater, or beloved tourist destination. A book, movie, theatrical production that made such an impact that we want…need to see it again. (Don’t ask me how many times Danny and I have watched each of the Harry Potter movies…)

Each time we revisit, we come back to something we hold dear. But we also see it with fresh eyes. We have matured…ok, aged, learned more, experienced more. Perhaps our memory of the original encounter is distorted, or our perspective has changed. Whatever it is, the experience is both familiar and new. There’s a familiarity, a comfort, that warms our hearts.

Most of us are also more open to something we remember fondly than delving into the unknown. Making new friends, meeting a new family member, exploring a new city or country, diving into a new book, show, or movie. They all mean taking a risk, which can be daunting even if the result pays huge dividends.

I think that’s one of the reasons opera fans tend to gravitate toward what is sometimes called ‘inherited repertoire’, meaning it came before our time. It’s hard to resist The Marriage of Figaro, Tosca, or La Traviata again. The music is beautiful, the stories compelling. Sure, we might like one particular production over another, feel like this soprano was better than that one. But still, it’s comforting.

That’s why our new production of a beloved opera by Rossini can be such a conundrum for audiences. Sure, you’ve probably heard of L’Italiana…perhaps you’ve even seen it before. But what the heck is a Riot Grrrl? [The New York Public Library’s website has an interesting article on the Riot movement. And there’s even a new show that just launched on BritBox called Riot Women!] Is the music still by Rossini? (Yes, it is.) How much has the story changed…or stayed the same? (The situations, including a happy ending, are very much the same even as the setting and characters have been reimagined…Martians and Earthlings instead of Algerians and Italians.)

For me, it is a return to a work I directed over 20 years ago, for a company then called Berkeley Opera. The principal characters were all double cast – two singers were engaged for each role – and I even sang the lead tenor role of Mosquito (Lindoro in the original) in one of those casts. I can tell you that singing a lead role in a show you’re directing is not a great idea…and there’s no way I can compare, now or then, with our tenor, Aaron Crouch!

That Berkeley production had a shoestring budget, with little to no pay for anyone involved. And yet, we created something compelling that still holds up, even if I might cringe a bit at some elements. The cast was great, the orchestra sounded good, the sets and costumes were compelling if clearly ‘on the cheap.’ As I leafed through my old directing score in preparation for HOT’s brand-new production, one of my happiest discoveries was finding myself mostly agreeing with choices I made ‘way back when’.

There are definitely changes, most notably in the truly stunning sets (Michelle Bisbee), costumes (Maile Speetjens), props (Gen Boyer), and wigs & makeup (Mei Chibana). If you don’t gasp…and chuckle…when the curtain goes up on Act I, I’ll be very surprised!

And the cast is simply amazing, made up primarily of amazing talent that lives and/or grew up right here in Honolulu! Joining them are two amazing HOT debuts, tenor Aaron Crouch as our Mosquito and mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont in the title role. I’m also thrilled to have James Wright working alongside me as choreographer and assistant director. We’re going to make sure the stage is a RIOT of action (pun definitely intended…) the whole show!

I’m having a blast…and I know our audiences will too. And to riff on the old Aliens movie slogan, in this version of Outer Space, everyone will hear you laugh!

Andrew