Get ready for two nights of rhapsody…
Yes, this is the real life…and it’s just fantasy! Experience The Queen in Me and Queen – A Night with the Opera with Opera Kelowna’s special package deal. Buy tickets to both events and save, while getting the chance to see two unforgettable performances by Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/he) in their Okanagan debut.
The Queen in Me (Feb. 26 or 28)
On February 26 & 28, embark on the wild ride of The Queen in Me. Teiya Kasahara takes centre stage in this electrifying and humourous show, featuring dramatic arias from operatic masterpieces including Puccini’s La Bohème & Madama Butterfly, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor; Verdi’s Rigoletto; R. Strauss’ Salome; and Mozart’s The Magic Flute. With a cleverly comical critique of how race, gender, and sexuality are portrayed in opera, Kasahara gives voice to characters who’ve wept, raged, laughed and died onstage for centuries—now it’s their turn to speak.
This solo show is performed with string quartet under the musical direction of Rosemary Thomson. It was originated in 2016-17 with Buddies in Bad theatre in Toronto. It’s been nominated for multiple Dora Awards and this is its premiere in Western Canada.
THE QUEEN IN ME is a co-production by Amplified Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Nightwood Theatre and Theatre Gargantua.
Creator-Performer: Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野
Pianist: David Eliakis
Co-Directors: Andrea Donaldson & Aria Umezawa
Set & Costume Designer: Joanna Yu
Lighting Designer: André du Toit
Projection Designer: Laura Warren
Queen – A Night with the Opera (March 1)
It’s a kind of magic! Opera Kelowna teams up with the Gary Cable Project, to rock out with the music of Queen, the ultimate genre-bending band. This one-night-only event will feature one of Canada’s most exciting and innovative artists, Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/he), as they take on lead vocals made immortal by Freddie Mercury. The performance will also feature Their Majesty’s String Quartet, and the Bohemian backup singers for a unique musical celebration.
With musical direction by Opera Kelowna Artistic Director Rosemary Thomson, the evening will feature some of the best genre and gender bending music of all time, including hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody to Love, and a few opera gems woven in.
