May 'Faust' be your First

If you haven't attended a live opera performance in the Inland Northwest, your last chance might be right here, right now.

Not to sound devilishly ominous, but local opera is the latest cultural delight to dangle on the ledge of solvency. Spokane Opera is no more. Only Opera Coeur d'Alene remains standing, and to put it bluntly, this weekend's two performances of "Faust" represent an enormous challenge - and of course, a heck of an opportunity.

Opera Coeur d'Alene has put together an all-star cast with expert stage direction from Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, a star of Metropolitan Opera House fame himself. During an enthusiastic gathering of opera fans last week at Bistro on Spruce in Coeur d'Alene, Nicholson paused between songs long enough to promise this: "You're going to see a show as good as anywhere in the world. The smiles will melt your faces off."

We're not sure who's going to mop up all those puddles of smiles after the shows, but we do know that even if you've never attended a live performance before, you will enjoy "Faust." In fact, you will never forget it.

The music is extraordinary, and with modern technology, the dialogue will be shown above the stage so you can understand what the actors are singing/saying.

Many people dress up for opera, but you don't have to. This is North Idaho, after all.

Granted, the ticket price - $35 a head - can be daunting, but you'd pay several times that for similar quality in the big city.

This is not high-brow, low-energy stuff. It's some of the best theater you can experience, with music that makes those smile-melting faces Aaron mentioned.

We confess that whenever we used to hear opera come on the radio, we'd switch to another station. If that makes us operatic riffraff, so be it. But live opera is a form of entertainment you have to experience in person to appreciate. Join us this weekend for "Faust," and we feel certain your first dive into opera will be far from your last.

If you go

operacda.com

Tickets: 769-7780