Most noted season shows expected to be ‘La Traviata,’ ‘Most Happy Fella’

The IDS sits down with Maria Levy, executive administrator for IU Opera & Ballet Theater, to discuss the theater’s 60th anniversary season preview.

Indiana Daily Student: It’s the IU Opera & Ballet Theater’s 60th anniversary. Will there be anything special to commemorate it?
Maria Levy: We have two new productions, “La Traviata” and “Cendrillon.” “La Traviata” is very well-known and beautiful. “Le Cendrillon” has never before been performed at IU. It is the story of Cinderella, but it is in French. Dancers from the ballet department will also be making an appearance in the three included ballet scenes. “Love for Three Oranges,” the opera, is very light; it is a fantasy. I hope that children will come to see these. This year’s season is actually very different because the only tragedies are “La Traviata” and “Giulio Cesare.” In the other operas, nobody dies, which is unusual for opera.

IDS: What goes into planning a season?
Levy: A lot goes into planning a season. We like to choose operas and ballets that have large casts and are suitable for young voices. We really try to choose shows that give students experience and that they might have the opportunity to perform when they go out to their professions. We also have a large subscriber base, which we try to please. We try to include what is known as sort of standard repertoire, like “La Traviata” and “Giulio Cesare,” but we like to bring new things to mix it up a little bit, like “Le Cendrillon,” which has never been performed here at IU. We really try to address the needs of our students and our subscribers. All casts include IU student dancers and singers, but the biggest casts this season are “La Traviata” and “Love for Three Oranges.”

IDS: “The Most Happy Fella” has been known as musical theater or operetta. Why did the opera theater choose it?
Levy: “The Most Happy Fella” has been performed before, but not since 1982, so it will be new for many people. It is considered operatic because it requires very good voices. Tim Noble, one of our faculty members, has had a wonderful operatic career, and he will be playing the role of the older man in “The Most Happy Fella.” He is great, so that will be very exciting.

IDS: Why did you choose “The Merry Wives of Windsor”?
Levy: The “Merry Wives of Windsor” is a beautiful operetta. The music is very nice, very romantic and Viennese sounding. It is a bit under-performed because most people perform “Falstaff” by (Giuseppe) Verdi, who is a more well-known and beloved composer. But this version by (Otto) Nicolai is comical and based on Shakespeare, so I think the audiences will have a fun time.

IDS: Could you explain the fall ballet, “Ballets of Our Time”?
Levy: We are calling the fall ballet “Ballets of Our Time” because we chose works that are very popular, that use the talents of our students and that will be interesting to the public. “Sweet Fields” and “The Four Temperaments” include the music of (Paul) Hindemith and Philip Glass, who is a contemporary American composer.

IDS: What about the spring ballet, “Variations on a Russian Theme”?
Levy: We are calling it “Variations on a Russian Theme” because of the Russian music of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” “Swan Lake” is always a classic favorite, but this year is the world premiere of guest choreographer Matthew Neenan, who is very talented and innovative.

IDS: How do you know when someone is right for a role?
Levy: We look for many things, but most students in lead roles are graduate students. There is always the question of stamina: Will they have enough strength to project over the orchestra? There are many considerations, but overall we try to cast more mature voices in more demanding roles.

IDS: Have all of the operas and ballets already been cast?
Levy: We have cast the first two operas, “La Traviata” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” During the first week of school in September, we will hold three days of general auditions, where we will cast the remaining four operas.

IDS: Which shows do you expect to be most popular?
Levy: “La Traviata” and “The Most Happy Fella” will be very popular this season, and of course the Nutcracker always sells out.

IDS: How can the audience learn more about each show?
Levy: Opera Insights, which is also for the ballets, is an hour-long talk about the production and the music before the show. It is free and open to the public, and it starts at 7 p.m. on the mezzanine level of the MAC.