You’ve got one (?) more chance to see Opera Orlando’s recent original production of The Secret River in the form of a televised “encore” screening on local public television station WUCF.
The Secret River, Opera Orlando’s first commissioned opera, was staged at the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in December.
The fantastical opera’s music was composed by UCF professor Stella Sung with a libretto by Pulitzer-winner Mark Campbell. It’s based on a Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings book of the same title.
“It aims to expand opera’s appeal beyond its stereotypical audience through the fantastical, family-friendly fable of Calpurnia, a Black girl who saves her parents and rural community from ecological disaster with the aid of a wise woman, some animal friends and the power of her own poetic imagination,” explained OW critic Seth Kubersky in his Live Active Cultures column..
On Sunday, Jan. 30, at 4:30 p.m., The Secret River will air on WUCF TV. As of this writing, it’s a one-off showing, so be vigilant.
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This article appears in Jan 19-25, 2022.