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Mostly Opera brings phantoms of operas past back to life

Rich Howells Abington Journal Correspondent

SCRANTON – It is not unusual to hear stories of ghosts or apparitions haunting hotels, but it’s certainly extraordinary when they are there to appreciate opera.

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Above, Mostly Opera tenor Erik Sparks.

Photo Courtesy of Terry Connors

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Mostly Opera will perform a dinner theater program called “Phantoms of the Operetta” on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Scranton, where the melodies of Victor Herbert, Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg will be presented, along with the ghosts of these respected composers to make guest comments about the performances. Music from “The Firefly,” “The New Moon,” “Student Prince, “Rose Marie,” “The Vagabond King,” “The Enchantress,” “Maytime” and “The Desert Song” will be featured as well.

Helene Tinsley, executive director of Mostly Opera, wrote the script for this show with the season in mind. “It is the day before Halloween…The ghosts will certainly add a spooky feel to it,” she said.

Mostly Opera is a community-based opera company comprised of 35 to 40 professional singers from northeast Pennsylvania, the only one of its kind in this area. These singers are all volunteers who donate their time and talent to support classical music and keep interest alive. Each year, they present two concerts; the spring concert is made up of classical music, while the other is dinner theater in the fall. This program will include 25 performers, directed by Linda Houck and accompanied by the Mostly Opera Ensemble. It will also feature guest appearances from the dancers of the Scranton Civic Ballet, who will present the famous “March of the Toys.”

As with all their programs, Tinsley wanted to be sure that both longtime opera fans and those new to the music would enjoy themselves. “All the songs are in English, and these are all very familiar songs….You hear something like ‘Sweetheart Sweetheart Sweetheart’ and say, ‘I heard that in an old movie!’ It’s all beautiful music. They even incorporate some of this stuff in commercials now.”

Mostly Opera board member Marilyn Costa agreed. “We try to vary our productions. We have one show a year that is strictly opera, and then another show, like this one, which is more operetta or sometimes Broadway tunes; something that may be a bit more familiar to a wider audience,” the Abington area resident added.

And the group doesn’t just perform opera music; they educate the public about it as well. A few years ago, the Metropolitan Opera started broadcasting the Saturday afternoon matinees live from the Metropolitan to Cinemark theaters, including the location in Moosic. There are eight or nine each season. Free of charge, Mostly Opera began providing an hour lecture before each showing about the operas themselves, their production, the composers, and anything else of relevant interest. A schedule of these special showings can be found at http://www.cinemark.com.

Mostly Opera’s performance of “Phantoms of the Operetta” on Friday, Oct. 30 will take place at 6 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel at Lackawanna Station in Scranton. The cost is $55. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available starting at 6 p.m. The dinner and show will follow at 7 p.m. For details or to purchase tickets, call 570.346.3693 or send a check to Mostly Opera, 800 Penn Security Bank Building, 142 North Washington Avenue, Scranton, 18503.