A night at the opera

It was March 27, Friday night. The night everybody goes out and has a good time after a hard week, right? However, I was sitting at home with a book when my friend Chris calls. “Dude, wanna come to an opera with me? It’s about a bride or something,” she said.Though I was really into my book, I figured ‘Why not?’ After she picked me up, we grabbed a bit and then went to pick up a friend of hers. The three of us made it to LCC’s Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center with plenty of time to spare. We purchased our tickets and headed into the auditorium. Front row seats! “The Bartered Bride,” I read aloud, flipping through the program. Turns out the story is about a young girl whose family owes another family money, and so, a scheming matchmaker plans to have the young girl marry the other family’s son. But, the girl loves another. “Sounds good so far,” I commented.I kept turning the pages, scanning the list of actors in hopes of recognizing somebody. I didn’t, but I did find several TAMIU students and alumni: Stephen Miller (Kecal), Josue Perez (Vasek), Natalie Miranda (Villager), Lexie DeAnda (Marie), Linzie Loftis (Villager), Stephanie Solis-Schnyder (Esmeralda), and Danny Cantu.After several minutes of sitting and reading through my pamphlet, the lights dimmed and the production’s director Dr. Joseph C. Crabtree – director of the Laredo Community College Opera Workshop – came onto the stage. He encouraged the audience to laugh or clap, took a bow, and introduced the opera.The curtains opened and actors were milling about on stage in a wide variety of costumes. The opera’s start was strong, confidence radiating from the majority of actors. I was surprised, I must admit, to hear such bold and beautiful voices coming from what was primarily a young cast.I was a bit disappointed. The performance was great and the acting was very well done; however, there were several actors who kept looking down at Dr. Crabtree for cues, making no attempt to be discreet about it. Aside from this though, the opera was excellent!I laughed, I clapped, and I was drawn to the seemingly doomed love between Marie and her romantic interest Jenik; I felt sympathy for the stammering Vasek.With an interesting story and a happy ending, “The Bartered Bride” made me glad I decided to go out.