The weeks leading up to a St. Petersburg Opera opening night are always a wild time in our old theater. Stage hands build sets on the Hough Hall stage, singers warm up around the grand piano and the Stavros Room – normally home to our Side Door shows – turns into a sprawling costume shop and dressing room.
And because the show opening Friday night is Puccini’s Madama Butterfly there are lots of kimonos and white makeup added to the mix.
Among the musicians, singers, designers, staff and crew camping out for the final week is Todd Olson, the Producing Artistic Director of American Stage. Todd is directing Butterfly, his third time working with SPO.
Getting a chance to tell the tragic story of Lt. Pinkerton and the geisha known as Butterfly, was what drew Todd to the project. That great story and the beautiful music.
“It is really a thrill to live in Puccini’s music these last few weeks, ” he told me.
Like American Stage, SPO productions are a mix of top local talent – both singing and in the chamber orchestra – and top flight national artists. Todd credits SPO Artistic Director Mark Sforzini for his devotion to that principle.
“Clearly Mark is devoted to local artists, he gives them lots of opportunities to play real roles, then he gets top talent from around the country. He brings all of these exceptional people together. It cross-pollinates with the local talent. I think that’s the way to do it,” he said.
One of those locals getting covered in operatic pollen is eight-year-old May Olson, Todd’s daughter, who is doing her first stage show ever. She plays Cio-Cio’s son, Dolore.
“I tried really hard to talk her out of it,” he told me. ” I know how much work it takes. Her character is on stage for 40 minutes.”
But May was captivated with opera while watching the recent SPO production of Johnny Schicchi at American Stage. And Todd got a DVD of the film version of Madame Butterfly and they watched it together.
But her biggest motivation may have been finding out what her father does every day.
“I want to see how you work Daddy,” she told him.
To see the result of Daddy’s hard work, and the work of the other singers, musicians, cast and crew, don’t miss Madama Butterfly. Shows are Friday and Tuesday at 7:30, and Sunday at 2.
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