Free Range Opera Theater is scheduled to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a performance of Arthur Sullivan’s “The Emerald Isle” 8 p.m. Saturday (March 14) and 2 p.m. Sunday (March 15) at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St.
“The Emerald Isle” is the final work of Sullivan, the composer best known for his work with librettist W.S. Gilbert as Gilbert & Sullivan. It tells the tale in music of an Irish rebellion against an anglicizing re-education plan. Peasants convince the English Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and his redcoats that an evil fairy will capture them if they dare enter the Irish rebel stronghold. Romantic twists and the trademark Sullivan humor enter the action as the rebel leader and the Lord’s daughter fall in love, a traitor to the cause is suspected and surprising secrets revealed. Sullivan’s Savoy Theatre successor, Edward German, completed “The Emerald Isle,” after Sullivan’s death in 1900.
Proceeds from the Free Range Opera Theater “For A Cause” performances will support the Kiwanis Club/UNICEF Eliminate Project targeting neonatal tetanus.
“We’re inspired by The Savoy Company of Philadelphia and New York’s Blue Hill Troupe, which raise funds for good causes while preserving musical heritage,” said Free Range Opera Theater founder Marc Kenig.
Following their philanthropic approach, Free Range Opera Theater is a volunteer, nonprofit arts organization comprising music professionals and amateurs who are dedicated to delivering high-caliber performances and performing good works in the community and the world. The organization’s mission is to research, revive and preserve historical musical heritage including operetta, music hall, vaudeville and musical theater. The nonprofit group, based in Mountain View, partners with other local nonprofit organizations to present musical revivals as fundraising opportunities.
Tickets, $25, and donations are tax deductible.
For tickets, visit mountainview.gov/mvcpa/mar15.html or 903-6000.
For more information, call (415) 365-4806, email [email protected] or visit freerangeopera.com.
