This spring, Opera Theater Oregon inaugurates its residency at the Hollywood Theatre with
Giasone and the Argonauts,
a high-brow/low-brow mashup of 17th century Venetian opera and 1960s mythic fantasy cinema. Francesco Cavalli’s rarely-heard opera
Giasone
(1649) is recast to provide entirely live sound for the 1963 sword-and-sandal film
Jason and the Argonauts,
a chronicle of the quest for the Golden Fleece featuring Ray Harryhausen’s celebrated stop-motion effects: a walking bronze statue of Talos, flying blue Harpies,Triton rising from the sea, a seven-headed Hydra and an army of skeletons.
Each evening kicks off with a fashion show parading the cast of 15 singers clad in couture-inspired designs by Useless Woman AC. Film lovers, fashionistas and opera buffs alike can cozy up at the Hollywood with a pint of ale and a slice of pizza to revel in the beauty of a rarely-heard opera gem while enjoying the onstage spectacle of film, foley and fashion. Five performances accompanied by chamber ensemble featuring onstage sound effects by Unchained Production’s David Ian and Dino DeAElfweald. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. Starring Hannah Penn, Catherine Olson, Ian José Ramirez, José Rubio, Deac Guidi and Daniel Buchanan. Musical direction by Erica Melton, technical direction by Galen Huckins.