PODCAST:

Charlottesville Opera’s production of “Cinderella,” will be at the Paramount from June 26-28th.

TRANSCRIPT:

Dana Douglas:
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. For Arts this Week, we chatted with Michael Slon about Charlottesville Opera’s production of Cinderella, which will be performed at the Paramount June 26 through June 28.

Michael Slon:
Great to be with you, Dana. Thanks for having me on. My name is Michael Slon. I’m the conductor for the Charlottesville Opera production of Cinderella, and as some of your listeners may know, I’m also a music professor and director of choral music at UVA, and work with the Oratorio Society too.

Dana Douglas:
Thanks so much for being here, Michael. Can we start off by just getting some insight on what makes this show unique?

Michael Slon:
You know, most people are familiar with the Cinderella story, but they may not know, actually, this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. As some will know, it was originally created as a made-for-TV movie with Julie Andrews. And even if they’re not familiar, I think people will know Rodgers and Hammerstein, so they have a chance to come and hear some beautiful melodies and great performances from all our artists singing these tunes by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which tend to always be beloved.

Dana Douglas:
Absolutely. So I think that a lot of listeners are likely familiar with at least one of these versions. What exactly does this opera production bring to the table that they might not expect?

Michael Slon:
I mean, first of all, there’s nothing that kind of compares with live performance, right? You have these wonderful artists that we have in town, and also our wonderful principals who will deliver beautiful performances with live orchestra. Therefore, people have a chance to hear the music in person. And I think also, especially for young listeners, you know, there’s going to be a little bit of stage magic. We have a wonderful director, Crystal Manich, and I think she and our technical crew will be managing to create a few special effects, like a dress transformation and things like that. I think that’ll be something that will make especially an impression on young listeners when they come and they can experience the kind of fairy tale side of the story.

Dana Douglas:
What exactly has gone into the production process that you’re just really excited to see come to life?

Michael Slon:
Yeah, you know, I have to tell you, I love doing shows, you know, musicals, operas, whatever the case may be, along with obviously choral and orchestral works, and you know, we just started rehearsal, you know, the second week in June, so it’s a very tight process, about a three-week process from the first rehearsal till the time the show opened. So we work kind of intensively on staging it, on getting the right musical feel, on getting the timings right, and all that, you know, the character, the interaction of characters, and I think that’s a very wonderful, creative, collaborative process.

Dana Douglas:
How did the idea to do Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella originate with Charlottesville Opera?

Michael Slon:
Leanne Clement, who’s the general director, Caroline Worra, who’s the artistic director, and the board, Melissa Young, and other folks, you know, they look at all the options for a particular season, and lately the pattern has been one musical, one opera, and so they come up with what’s a good pairing, and what do they want to do.

Dana Douglas:
So, what would you say to prospective audience members who hope to turn in to Cinderella?

Michael Slon:
Oh, just that we’d love to have them join us at the Paramount. I think listeners of all ages will really enjoy both hearing beautiful live music of Rogers and Hammerstein, including songs that are not in the movie, and also being able to kind of tap into that magic of a fairy tale, which you know it’s good sometimes for us to not be jaded, to take something a little more simple and innocent, perhaps, and enjoy that. I think that’s a good respite for all of us.

Dana Douglas:
For listeners looking to attend Cinderella by the Charlottesville Opera, more information about show times and ticket sales can be found at CharlottesvilleOpera.org.

Dana Douglas:
Arts This Week is supported by the UVA Arts Council and Piedmont Virginia Community College. PVCC Arts presents a rich array of dance, music, theater, and visual arts programming. Learn more at pvcc.edu. For WTJU, I’m Dana Douglas.