Itβs been forever since we were able to sit in a theater and enjoy live entertainment.
We wish we were telling you that is about to change, but the stubborn coronavirus pandemic hasnβt let up and stages worldwide still remain largely dark.
On Saturday, July 25, though, we can catch a live opera production and comedy show from the comfort of our living rooms.
Time for some ha-haβs
The folks at Unscrewed Theater, Tucsonβa preeminent improv troupe, are putting on a pair of βHouse Partyβ shows, one aimed at families and the other for adults only. Admission to either is free, although tips sent through the groupβs website (unscrewedtheater.org/product/donate) are encouraged.
The family-friendly house party kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom, featuring east side resident Mark Berry, who Unscrewed organizers say is βan OLLLLD and retired member of the troupe and still has his original T-shirt,β according to a press release.
Berry last appeared with the improv troupe as part of its βCandy Cornβ during Unscrewedβs last βQuarantine Countdownβ event. Heβll team up Saturday with Jon Benda, Scott Shaver, Cy Barlow, Rosanne Crago, Rob Sparks and host Chris Seidman. To register for a Zoom invite, visit tinyurl.com/y3dqwm3d.
You might want to put the kiddos to bed before the troupe hits the virtual stage for the βUncensored Showβ at 9:30 p.m. Expect some ribald humor, perhaps a few curse words and big belly laughs. βUncensoredβ features Allana Erickson-Lopez, Anna Lepa, Susie Carey, Jessica Spenny, Crago, Sparks and host Barlow, with special guests Big Daddies. That would be the father duo of seasoned improv-ers Matt Beaudry and Michael Pierce, who have seven kids between them and just love giving you their perspectives on parenting.
Again, admission is free but tips are appreciated. Register for the Zoom code at tinyurl.com/yyzdp7tj
Opera meets telenovelA
If we were in βnormalβ times, members of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra and its conductor, Linus Lerner, would be in Mexico about now, presenting operas and hosting vocal competitions as part of Lernerβs annual San Luis Opera Festival.
But these are not normal times. The orchestra has been on hold since its last live performance in March and its conductor is stuck in his native Brazil, where he has been waiting out the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. But isolation doesnβt mean that creativity halts dead in its tracks.
Lerner and a couple alumnus of that festival β soprano Liliana del Conde and bass-baritone Daniel Noyola β and actor Fernando BarragΓ‘n are teaming up to present Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesiβs opera buffa βLa Serva Padronaβ (βThe Servant Turned Mistressβ) as an operatic telenovela, borrowing from the Latin American soap opera tradition. Pergolesi penned the 45-minute opera in 1733 as a humorous intermezzo, a short work performed between acts of a larger, more serious opera.
The San Luis Opera Festival production was created following pandemic social distancing protocols at the San Luis PotosΓ Arts Center, Lerner said. The performance airs at 5 p.m. Admission is $3.50 through teatropolivalenteceart.mx where you will receive an access code to view the performance online.
