Opera company sends Cinderella to comic-con

By Vagisha Agrawal, May 26 2016 —

Cowtown Opera Company (CTO) will bring the classic tale of Cinderella to Calgary audiences with a comedic twist. Ella: Cinderella Goes to Comic-Con is a modern adaptation of Rossini’s classic opera, La Cenerentola, but this time Cinderella gets a ticket to Comic-Con to try and find love instead of the classic trip to the ball.

The show will run from May 26–29 at Festival Hall in Inglewood.

CTO is a local opera company known for translating classics into modern-day language and contemporary performance. They produce three shows a year and are currently wrapping up their fifth season. CTO hopes to make opera more accessible for modern audiences.

“Our goal is to bring opera to the people by creating stories that people love and know. We modernise classic works by translating the words into English and making them relatable to Calgarians,” artistic director and founder of CTO Michelle Minke says.

The unique concept of Ella: Cinderella Goes to Comic-Con comes from CTO director Amanda Liz Cutting. Minke says the show is a tale of disguise, jealousy and love with a sci-fi twist.

“The show encompasses mistaken identity, outlandish costumes, movie references and what would an opera be without a light saber battle and iconic wedding?” Minke says. “We’re trying to break stereotypes at Cowtown Opera and one thing we can say is that you’ll probably never go to an opera where you’ll see Jabba the Hutt in one of the lead roles, so it’s going to be pretty funny.”

A combination of twists, turns and Star Wars puns forms the comedic core of Ella: Cinderella Goes to Comic-Con.

Minke also describes it as “one of the most vocally demanding operas in the repertoire.”

Calgarian Courtney Murias — a graduate of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program — will star as Ella, while the ensemble features Cowtown Opera Summer Academy graduates. Audience members are encouraged to bring their Comic-Con outfits as best costume prizes will be given out at nights of performances.

Ella: Cinderella Goes to Comic-Con plays until May 29 at Festival Hall. Tickets are $20 for students and are available at eventbrite.com.

For more information, visit cowtownoperacompany.com