My introduction to the art form it may be, I feel reasonably confidant asserting that the production of “Speed Dating Tonight!” I saw at the Northwest Film Forum last night is the first opera to ever be staged where two characters wear t-shirts that say “Fuck it, let’s drink.”
“Speed Dating Tonight!” is an opera written by Michael Ching, the first production in a series called “New Brew,” which focuses on new works. It was staged by the Seattle chapter of Opera on Tap, a group dedicated to making opera more accessible by holding productions in bars instead of theaters. It is also part of the Seattle Fringe Festival, which means all performances run an hour or less and cost $10 for tickets (which goes directly to the artists). They occasionally appear at the Blue Moon Tavern, Seattle’s most legendary dive bar. Not only does On Tap Opera remove all of the fussiness from opera, but they also aren’t beholden to the historical racist stereotypes that others have written about (as far as I know: all of the performers in “Speed Dating Tonight!” are Caucasian and played Caucasian characters, though one woman does play a male speed dater).
To a philistine like myself, it was lots and lots of fun.
The stage is setup to look like a bar. The cast is made up of actors playing a bartender (managing divo Robert McPherson, who also said he was the director in the introduction), a waitress (managing diva Ksenia Popova), the speed dating coordinator, and a handful of people on speed dates. All of the dialogue is sung, with few exceptions. In the short play (which lasted about 45-50 minutes), each actor had the chance to showcase their chops as singers, with universally impressive results. I also appreciated the different POVs on display, and the music let each performer express why they’re at a speed dating event.
The only thing I found wanting was that for something called Opera on Tap, there was a lack of beer. The Northwest Film Forum sells it, but it must stay in the lobby and cannot be brought into the theater. It’s not Opera on Tap Seattle’s fault, of course, but it means that next time I’ll have to see opera as God intended and like a civilized adult: in a bar.
I can’t wait.
{Opera on Tap Seattle’s “Speed Dating Tonight!” has performances on September 18, 20, and 21 at Northwest Film Forum. Tickets and more info can be found here.}
