Night at the opera

Anna Glore, Staff Reporter

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Passion, financial trouble, a prince and, of course, a widow who can change a nation forever based upon whom she chooses to marry. The Merry Widow is here at the University of Toledo to entertain the students and the community

The UT theatre department put on the play The Merry Widow, an opera which was composed by Franz Lehar of Hungary, in the Doermann Theater on Nov. 11-13 and plans to put it on again Nov. 18-20.

Students and the public alike enjoyed the show; some even attended to support a loved one.

Stewart Graham and Jean Daniel were a part of the crowd, stating that they had traveled from Ada, MI to cheer on three of their past students.

“It’s very lovely. The orchestra on stage is a beautiful idea. They’re all doing a nice job; the costuming is beautiful. It’s overall a very nice production,” Daniel said.

Others in attendance included UT alumni supporting friends who were in the performance.

Kimberly Marshall and Christina Howman drove three hours to see their friends in the opera and said they were not disappointed.

“I have seen other operas; especially for a collegiate level opera, I thought that this one was very well performed. I’ve seen both professional and amateur level,” Marshall said.

Marshall also added that many other operas are not performed in English, and since this one was, it was much easier to understand.

However, it was not only the crowd which was enthusiastic about the show, but the cast expressed their excitement as well.

“It was a really interesting experience because we have people from so many different backgrounds and so many different majors and careers, that it was really fun for us all to come together and do an opera,” said Kaitlynn McCamey, a fourth-year theater major. “I know for myself, and for a lot of people, it was our first time being in an opera, so it was a lot of fun.”

McCamey played “Frou Frou” in the performance and was also one of the chorus members. She said that prior to this show, she had mainly done behind the scenes work but loves to perform.

“Rehearsals were really fun. We started, actually, before school started. So we’ve been rehearsing for a while, trying to get ready for it,” McCamey said.

The cast did not only consist of students, but there were several roles played by those outside of UT’s campus community.

Steve Smithberger, who played the role of Baron Popoff, currently is a pastor at Epiphany Lutheran Church on Reynolds road, where he recently played Tevya in their production of Fiddler on the Roof.

“It was fun, a lot of talented young people here, really doing their thing you know. I just lucked into it I guess,” Smithberger said.

All performances are held in Doerman Theatre in University Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online or at the doors.

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Night at the opera