and
present
Music by Jacques Offenbach and Gioachino Rossini
Words and story adaptation by John Davies
Saturday, October 15, 2022
10:30 A.M. and 12:30 P.M.
Avondale Amphitheater
Christy Vest, music director
Kristin Kenning, stage director
CAST
(in order of vocal appearance)
Little Red DeLee Michiko Benton^ (10:30am)
and Caitlyn Rodrigue^ (12:30pm)
Mom Camryn Rodrigue*^
Dudley Joseph Robinson
Mr. Bigbad Justice Allen*
Granny Camryn Rodrigue*^
Lumbering Jack Ansley Davis*
*denotes Opera Birmingham solo debut
^denotes members of the Opera Birmingham Studio at Samford University
PRODUCTION TEAM
| Production Stage Manager Juliette Sosa Valle |
Scenic Designer Lynne Hutton |
|
| Costume Designer DeLee Michiko Benton |
Sound Designer Benjo Verge |
Little Red’s Most Unusual Day will be performed in one act with no intermission.
Approximate run time is 45 minutes.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Little Red Riding Hood: A young girl sets out to visit her Granny, picking berries along the way; instead of finding Granny at the house, she discovers the Big Bad Wolf has eaten Granny; fortunately, a Forest Ranger comes to rescue them, and they live happy ever after. But what happens when we find out that the Forest Ranger Dudley wants to take Little Red’s mother to the Forest Ranger Ball? And Granny finds a note from Dudley and thinks it is Granny that he wants to take to the ball? That turns the familiar story into Little Red’s Most Unusual Day!
Taking familiar stories like Little Red Riding Hood, giving them a twist, and mixing in music from great opera composers is such a fun way to introduce children to opera. The colorful sets and costumes and energetic hijinks on the stage never fail to capture attention, as children wait to see what is going to happen. I always love when kids are so engaged that they talk back as the characters are performing! Most of these shows have at least one scene where the kids can interact with the singers, and they never fail to respond. Also, it’s not just the kids who get pulled into the story! Adults always enjoy these quirky retellings of stories we all grew up with.
I’m excited that we are back at Avondale Park, the perfect home for a family event. This year, we’re also taking our children’s opera on the road, bringing live music to even more children through a special partnership with UAB’s ArtPlay and Jefferson County Schools. Over the next couple of weeks, hundreds of students will enjoy these fun performances, as our singers do four performances around Birmingham. Hopefully, these school shows will become an annual part of our performances, just as we look forward to returning to Avondale Park each fall.
I hope you enjoy our performance, and I look forward to seeing you after the show!
Keith A. Wolfe-Hughes
General Director
Birmingham Parks and Recreation
Friends of Avondale Park
One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center
Samford University School of the Arts and Larry Thompson, Interim Dean
This production has been made possible, in part, by a generous contribution from Medical Properties Trust, by grants from The Caring Foundation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, The Daniel Foundation of Alabama, and Hugh Kaul Foundation, and by support from Alabama Media Group.
Student tickets are supported by The Caring Foundation of Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Alabama.
The students of the Opera Birmingham Studio at Samford University are sponsored by Michael J. and Mary Anne Freeman, in celebration of Mike’s 70th birthday.
Kristin Kenning and Christy Vest are sponsored by Michael J. and
Mary Anne Freeman.
Alabama Media Group is the Official Media Sponsor of Opera Birmingham
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Opera Birmingham acknowledges we are on the traditional land of the Kosati speaking Mvskoke (Muscogee/Creek) People. Alabama has been home to the Alabama, Biloxi, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Mobile Tribes—including the Abihka, Alabama-Coushatta, Coosa, Tallapoosa, and the Yuchi Peoples—and is home to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama, the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, the Machis Lower Creek Tribe, the Mowa Band of Choctaw, and the Star Clan of Muskogee Creeks. We honor and thank the Indigenous peoples connected to this territory and give gratitude to this land.
A hilarious and adorable retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story brought to life with the world-famous music of J. Offenbach and G. Rossini. This children’s opera is brimming with fun and laughs! Join Little Red, her mom and granny, Forest Ranger Dudley, and that sneaky wolf—Mr. Bigbad himself—as they discover the importance of being kind to others and always doing the right thing.
Synopsis
Forest Ranger Dudley is too shy to ask Little Red’s mom, the widow Hood, to the Forest Ranger Ball. For that reason he leaves a written invitation in a basket of flowers outside Little Red’s house. Unfortunately for Dudley, the basket is delivered to Granny. Granny simply loves men, especially men in uniform. In the resulting confusion Dudley loses his pants, Granny kisses the Wolf, Mom gets impatient and Little Red gets in trouble. In fact, everyone experiences, in one way or another, a very, very unusual day.
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