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PortOpera's Maine's Emerging Artists Program Presents Too Many Sopranos in Five Locations Throughout Maine & New Hampshire
TOURING: Prepare for laughter and fun when PORTopera’s
Maine’s Emerging Artists (MEA) program presents Edwin Penhorwood’s comic,
light-hearted opera, “Too Many Sopranos.” The two-act opera is performed in
English and spoofs traditional opera stereotypes, stock plots, and traditional
staging. This fun and comical performance will be directed by Ellen Chickering,
a noted soprano and a member of the voice faculty in the USM School of Music,
and will be performed in five venues throughout Maine and New Hampshire. The
first performance will be held at the Portland Museum of Art, Friday, June 20 at
7:30 p.m.
Written in 1999, “Too Many Sopranos” takes place in heaven and hell. Four “diva”
sopranos have all ended up at the gates of heaven simultaneously, only to be
told by St. Peter that there are “too many sopranos” in heaven. Only one of them
will make it into the heavenly chorus – what they really need are more tenors
and basses in heaven, but they are all in hell, condemned to eternal torment!
St. Peter offers the sopranos a Redemption Clause: if they can go to hell and
bring back some of the tenors and basses, they’ll all get into the Heavenly
Chorus.
The cast of “Too Many Sopranos” consists of four returning MEA’s – Daniel Cyr as
St. Peter, Sarah Mawn as Just Jeanetter, Dori Smith as Miss Titmouse, and John
Coons as Enrico Carouser; and also includes Lori L’Italien as Dame Doleful, Dana
Schnitzer as Madame Pompous, Thomas Morris as Nelson Deadly, Nicholas Connolly
as Orson, and Lauren Onsrud as Gabriel.
Full Schedule for “Too Many Sopranos”:
 | June 20 – 7:30 p.m. – Portland Museum of Art - tickets through PORTopera at (207) 879-7678 |
| June 22 – 2:00 p.m. – University of Maine at Augusta - tickets through Senior College at (207) 621-3351 |
| June 28 – 7:30 p.m. – Salyard’s Center for the Arts, Conway, NH - tickets through Salyard’s at 603-447-6096 or www.mwvevents.com |
| July 13 – 7:30 p.m. – The Temple, Ocean Park, Maine - tickets through The Temple at (207) 934-9068. |
| July 16 – 8:00 p.m. – Deertrees Theatre, Harrison, Maine - tickets through Deertrees at (207) 583-6747 |
The Maine’s Emerging Artists Program was created to support
PORTopera’s mission to bring opera to Maine’s communities and to foster Maine
talent. The program is under the direction of Ellen Chickering, also the
Director of the Opera Workshop at the University of Southern Maine School of
Music. Aaron Robinson will be program’s accompanist. The MEA program is
sponsored by The Robert and Dorothy Goldberg Charitable Foundation.
PORTopera is Maine’s only opera company performing fully staged operas with
nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. For more information visit
www.portopera.org.