TAYLORSVILLE — Opera Contempo presented a delightful double bill of Western-themed operas in the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center September 11-13, 2025. In the intimacy of the Studio 5400 black box theatre, the unamplified voices of superb classically-trained singers who all reside locally easily filled the space. English text supertitles were projected above the players to ensure understanding of the sometimes silly, sometimes poignant lyrics.
Show closed September 13, 2025.
The evening began with Peter Schickele’s oratorio version of Oedipus Tex, a comic spin on the Greek tale of the king who is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. By the end of the short piece, Oedipus Tex concludes that you shouldn’t waste your love on your mother; you should save it for…your horse. Schickele always had a great time messing around with classical music and its forms. In this piece, he not only led the plot to that ridiculous moral; he also set the most ridiculous of lyrics to traditional musical forms, including a choral fugue based on just the phrase “oh yeah.”
Opera Contempo performed the piece oratorio style, with actors performing scores in hand, conductor Evie Gilgen ably guiding the artists from center downstage, and four soloists stepping forward to perform their musical numbers. A chorus of eight additional singers stood in rows behind them. Monica Hymas provided piano accompaniment. Scott Dickson supplied hilarious additions to the instrumental music implementing various parts of a French horn. Choristers also doubled as percussionists to comic effect with drum, woodblock, and cymbals.
Baritone Seth Kershisnik was perfect vocally and theatrically in the title role of Oedipus Tex. His twang, cowboy costume, and boisterous interpretation of his character charmed the audience. He delivered superb singing, with a full and beautiful sound, well supported and consistent; even his high sustained notes rang and seemed easy to produce. Equally appealing singing was presented by tenor Mitchell Sturges, who delivered the pointed, often mischievous recitative of the Narrator. It was a joy to listen to his clear, ringing tone.
The four main characters were well-matched, and a stand-out number was delivered by mezzo-soprano Mandi Barrus as Madam Peep, with her aria “You Murdered Your Father.” With costumes designed by Paige Wilson, she was dressed as a blend between a Western barmaid and fortune teller, she clearly had a hoot detailing the horrid things Ed had done, concluding each list with the refrain “you’re my kind of guy.” Her singing was focused, her diction clear, her singing consistent throughout the rangy piece.
The wackiness of Oedipus Tex concluded with a mash-up of “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” in the accompaniment while the chorus sang “The Eyes of Texas are upon you” to the melody of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” It was total fun.
Butch Cassidy Hops a Train, a short new opera simply and inventively staged, followed the intermission. With libretto by Anthony Buck and score by Monica Hymas, who was again at the piano, the music added clarinet, bass, and violin for an expanded accompaniment. The ensemble and cast were again conducted with precision by Evie Gilgen, this time located off to the side of the stage action, near the instrumentalists. The small ensemble felt like a bigger orchestra than it was, filling the space and adding greater expressiveness to the music.
Anthony Buck, stage director for Butch as well as librettist, used simple stage elements and props, designed by Mandi Barrus, to create scenes inside a train car, in banks, even in a dream. For one especially poignant moment, when Butch Cassidy realizes that he is stuck on the train of his life for the rest of his days, Buck had his actors march diagonally and somberly across stage behind Butch’s aria: Butch can’t return to home and family, and he is surrounded by argumentative, tiring people as long as he remains alive. The future looks bleak for Butch, but he made the choices that led him there. Scene changes were tightly programmed with cast members efficiently moving scenery and props. In addition to supertitles to enable understanding, Buck added projections of scene-setting photographs, designed by Ryan Mansfield.
Hymas’ score is through-composed: the music doesn’t break into extended formulated numbers, but flows with instrumental accompaniment and full singing through the scenes. Her music matched the action, and invited audience members to both judge Butch for his crimes and empathize with his fate at the end of the opera.
Baritone Tyler Oliphant employed his warm, clear baritone to portray the character and conflicts of Butch Cassidy in this snippet of a story that could have occurred in Butch’s life, but is not historically documented.
Tenor Anthony Ruiz’s portrayed Butch’s partner, the Sundance Kid. His bright, powerful singing voice was wonderful to hear. The trio sung by Butch and Sundance and soprano Anna Romney as Sundance’s argumentative girlfriend focused on their dreams of settling into the quiet of a ranch somewhere; it was a highlight of the performance.
Also compelling was a quartet in which the trio singers were joined by soprano Clara Hurtado Lee, singing the role of Butch’s girlfriend. It occurs near the end of the opera, when all four of them are full of emotion, all singing their individual lines and text. It’s one of those moments that happens only in opera: the composer works the contrasting strands of emotion and music to create thrilling harmony.
Opera Contempo aspires to offer new works and new voices to our community. The performances this weekend highlighted local professional singers in one neglected work and one new work created by a local librettist and composer. The company is also dedicated to its non-profit status: it has sought out grant opportunities to add to ticket sales in order to pay the costs of productions, but it additionally collaborated with the Ute Tribe to have cultural representatives participate in the performance in a meaningful way. Profits from the performances will be donated to a network providing support for Utah’s native communities.
Opera Contempo has vision and drive, and they are doing the work to succeed in production after production. It has been inspiring to watch the company explore its niche in the world of local opera and musical theatre, provide opportunities for local artists, and offer innovative works. Bravo, Opera Comtempo!
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
