Maria Dominique Lopez as (Madame Flora) in Pacific Opera Project’s production of Menotti’s The Medium
Opera goers in Los Angeles and Orange County have a number of exciting (and seasonally appropriate) options to choose from this and next weekend. Pacific Opera Project, Los Angeles Opera and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County are all mounting intriguing productions for Halloween. In Los Angeles, POP is presenting a double creature feature of Menotti’s The Medium and Brooke deRosa’s new opera The Monkey’s Paw, while LA Opera will be presenting a hybrid screening and staging of Jean Cocteau’s surrealist landmark La Belle et Le Bête featuring a new score by Phillip Glass performed live by a cast of singers and the Philip Glass Ensemble under the direction of his longtime collaborator Michael Reisman. Fans of Mr. Glass also have the opportunity to hear his score for the 1931 classic Dracula, screened and performed live by the composer himself with the Kronos Quartet in Costa Mesa.
POP will present The Medium and The Monkey’s Paw at 8pm at the Ebell Club in Highland Park on October 27, 28 & 31 before going the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica on November 3 & 4th, with an additional matinee at 3pm on the fifth. La Belle et la Bête will be shown at the Ace Hotel downtown on Saturday, October 28th at 8pm (tickets on this date include admission to an after-party and costume contest at the Ace), Sunday the 29th at 2pm and again at 8pm on Halloween night. Dracula will be resurrected at 7:30 pm on Saturday and hopefully not incinerated the following afternoon at 2pm, both showings at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa.
