Opera Revue is a company made of three talented individuals: soprano Danie Friesen , baritone Alexander Hajek , and the sonic backbone of it all, pianist Elise Harris . Their mission, they say, is to introduce opera to newcomers and deliver a fresh way to experience it for veterans in a relaxed environment at an affordable price. My attitude towards opera has primarily been informed by Wayne Koestenbaum who, in his book “The Queen’s Throat,” wrote: “Opera has the power to warn you that you have wasted your life.
You haven’t acted on your desires. You’ve suffered a stunted, vicarious existence. You’ve silenced your passions.
..and your throat is closed.
” Which is to say on a recent, rainy November night, at the Redwood Theatre in Leslieville, the question on everyone’s mind was: could Opera Revue open our throats? Illuminating Production The show—circus-themed—began with a joke of sorts. Hajek, who also served as the main tone-setting emcee, explained that the city had not granted them the permits to use a tiger and a lion, but that they always have a back-up plan: which was for him and Friesen to put on ears and tails and get up onto stools, where they performed Rossini’s “Cat Duet,” jumping through hoops and coughing up hair balls, until their voices collided to create a harmonious meow. The laughs from the audience were elicited from the sheer ridiculousness of how seriously they were taking themselves.
Those who couldn’t get in on the joke, chu.