by Pietro Mascagni
and
by Robert X. Rodriguez - West Coast Premiere
March 2 - 24, 2007
"Cinnabar the place for opera"
by Dan Taylor, Press Democrat, Sunday March 4, 2007
" 'La Curandera' and 'Cavalleria Rusticana' show Petaluma theater's commitment to professional-level, live performances." Full article here
A double bill of Latin magic and passion!
Mar. 2* (8:00), 3** (8:00), 9 (8:00), 14^^ (7:30), 16 (8:00) sold out, 18 (2:00), 21^^ (7:30), 23 (8:00) & 24*** (8:00)
First, Mascagni's fiery Italian tale of lust, jealousy and revenge, a combination of swift-moving drama and powerful music full of tempestuous passions, smoldering jealousies and sweeping melodies.
Nina Shuman, Music
Director
Elly Lichenstein, Stage Director
Translated by Marcie Stapp
Santuzza Patricia Barboza
Lola Cary Rosko
Mama Lucia Valentina Osinski
Turridu Will Hart Meyer
Alfio William Neely
Then it’s off to Mexico, where the same emotions are turned on their heads for a MAGICAL comic romp. La Curandera, the Mexican folk healer/magician, utilizes real incantations and rituals from Mexican folklore to teach our befuddled lovers the essence of happiness. Listen for homages to Mexico, mariachi and Mozart in Rodriguez' characteristic richly lyrical (Musical America) writing. The LA Times praises his "all-encompassing sense of humor." La Curandera, accessible to all, sparkles with unabashed joy. You will love this one!
Nina Shuman, Music Director
Fred Curchack, Stage Director
Alba Angela Cadelago
Dionisia Cary Rosko
La Curandera Valentina Osinski
Alberto Will Hart Meyer
Ramon George Arana
General Godofredo Theodore Weis
Single Tickets: $32 general/$30 seniors and students
*Optional pre-show opening night gala, Mar. 2, provided by Dempsey’s Restaurant and Brewery 7:00 p.m. (add $10)
** Post-show Chamber Chat
***Pre-show Wine and Dessert tasting, Mar. 24, 7:00 p.m. (add $10 to ticket price)
^^ Cinna Dinner dates - Progressive dinner at Vine & Barrel and Risibisi before the show. Click here for more details
"Cinnabar the place for opera"
by Dan Taylor, Press Democrat, Sunday March 4, 2007
" 'La Curandera' and 'Cavalleria Rusticana' show Petaluma theater's commitment to professional-level, live performances."
"Robert Xavier Rodriguez's Mexican-style, one-act opera is a joy to watch - pure fun, set to beautiful music.
Seen in dress rehearsal midweek, Cinnabar Theater's current Petaluma production, with musical direction by Nina Shuman and stage direction by Fred Curchack, already looked polished and ready for the public...."
"Shuman nimbly leads a dozen musicians in this production, and there are some delightful musical moments, particularly for violin and accordion, sure to make audiences grin...."
"Starring in the title role, Valentina Osinski plays the village healer with an earthy sensuality and a gypsylike, world-wise air. Her singing, particularly her solo about her work as La Curandera, is stunning, provocative and consistently beautiful...."
"It's a good time for all music lovers from start to finish, but unquestionably, the high point is "La Curandera," in only its second production anywhere. Rodriguez's work premiered last year in Denver."
Full article here
Cavalleria Rusticana & La Curandera,
Reviewed by David Kashimba
Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma is now playing two delightful short operas: Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and La Curandera by Robert X. Rodriguez. Cavalleria Rusticana is set in a Sicilian village and is full of all the passions of forbidden and unrequited love....The music is so beautiful it brings emotions to the surface you never knew you had....From the melancholic songs of the spurned Santuzza [Patricia Barboza] comes some of the most beautiful music of the opera. Barboza has a great yet subtle voice, which blends well with Mascagni’s composition.
Rodriguez’s comic opera La Curandera...brings plenty of laughs and lively music ranging from classical to mariachi with a playful mix of other folk songs. The lesson learned is: “amor es locura” (love is madness), but it sure is lively and a lot of fun.
Read the full review here
Passion and comedy and odd musical pairing, Charles Brousse, Marin IJ, March 5, 2007
...[I]t's my pleasant duty to report they've done it again with a splendid production of Pietro Mascagni's evergreen "Cavalleria Rusticana," presented in a double bill with the West Coast premiere of "La Curandera," by the contemporary American composer Robert X. Rodriguez.
This "Cavalleria" is solid in every respect, from the excellent ensemble to director Elly Lichenstein's well-paced staging. As usual, music director Shuman manages to draw a surprisingly rich sound from her smallish orchestra, allowing the lush romanticism of Mascagni's score to have its full impact.... Adapted from a story by the great late 19th century chronicler of Sicilian rural life, Giovanni Verga, it is a steamy tale of lust, betrayal and revenge whose effect is magnified by being juxtaposed against the religious observances of Easter.
"La Curandera" is a different animal altogether. It's a light-hearted musical bagatelle (libretto by Mary Medrick, based on Mozart's comic opera, "Bastien and Bastienne") in which a young bride-to-be named Alba (Angela Cadelago) has her suspicions aroused when she answers a cell phone call to her Mexican-American fiance, Alberto (Will Hart Meyer), while they wait at an unidentified U.S. airport for the flight that will carry them to Mexico City to visit Alberto's great uncle, the famous General Godofredo della Barca (Ted Weis) in the nearby village of Tepoztlan. Read more here...
'Curandera' opera set in Mexico. Retelling of Mozart work composed by Texan incorporates folk music - Press Democrat - Dan Taylor, Sunday February 25, 2007. Texas-born composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez, a teacher at the University of Texas at Dallas for the past 30 years, has seen his work performed in New York, Boston, and all over Europe.... And in Petaluma. Read more...
Introducing...
CINNADINNERS
Join us for a delectable progressive dinner/opera night in Petaluma
Wednesdays, March 14 & March 21
5:00 p.m.
Vine & Barrel 143 Kentucky St.
A tasting of fine, rare and boutique wines. Marin French Cheese offers a
selection of award winning cheese: Triple Crème Brie, Le Petit Bleu, Yellow
Buck Chèvre & Camembert.
5:45 p.m.
Risibisi 154 Petaluma Blvd No.
A delicious dinner of Paella, Tiramisu for dessert, and coffee or tea.
Then off to Cinnabar Theater for our double bill of Latin magic and passion!
Tickets $75 per person
tax, tip, tour guide & operas included.
FREE Preview Lecture/Demonstration
LA CURANDERA
featuring Robert X. Rodriguez,
Directors and Cast
Santa Rosa Junior College
Mahoney Library, Petaluma Campus
Monday, February 26, 2007, 7pm
Meet the composer and learn all about La Curandera, a comic opera in one act for family audiences. Here's a wonderful introduction to both the intriguing and glorious world of opera and the vibrant and ageless world of Mexican folklore. Internationally acclaimed composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez joins cast and crew to reveal the special charms and delights of his opera. We'll listen for the Mexican National Anthem, traditional folk tunes, nods to W.A. Mozart and much more.
Co-sponsored by Santa Rosa Junior College
Foundation Friends of Petaluma Campus Committee and the Multicultural Events Committee.
Partially underwritten by Meet the Composer
The Composer
Robert Xavier Rodriguez is one of the most significant and often-performed American composers of his generation. His full-length stage works include The Last Night of Don Juan, based on the Rostand play, and Frida, based on the life of Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, which the New York Times named "The best Opera/Musical Theater of 1991." Mr. Rodríguez' work has received over 2000 professional orchestral and operatic performances in recent seasons by the Vienna Schauspielhaus, Theater Nordhausen, Theater Recklinghausen, National Opera of Mexico, BAM Next Wave Festival, Boston Repertory Theater, American Music Theater Festival, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and dozens of America's greatest symphony orchestras. His music is recorded on CRI (Grammy nomination), Albany, First Edition and other labels and is published exclusively by G. Schirmer. Mr. Rodríguez has served as Composer-in-Residence with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony and the Dallas Symphony. He is currently Professor and Conductor of the Musica Nova ensemble at The University of Texas at Dallas.
The Guest Director 
Fred Curchack has created over seventy original ensemble theatre pieces and twenty-six solos. His performances have been featured at dozens of international theatre festivals. He received the Gold Medal at the International Festival of Solo Theatre, the American Theatre Wing Award and Critics' Awards in L.A., S.F., Dallas and Austin and appears on dozens of critics' Top Ten lists nationwide. He has received funding from Creative Capital, the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts International, The Jim Henson Foundation and is a Guggenheim Fellow. After receiving a drama degree from the High School of Performing Arts in N.Y. and a BA and MA in Theater from Queens College, Curchack studied Indian Kathakali, Japanese Noh, Balinese Topeng, choreography with Alwyn Nikolais and trained with Grotowski's Polish Theater Lab. He has taught theatre at the United Nations International School, N.Y.; Sonoma State University, California; and is currently Professor of Art and Performance at The University of Texas at Dallas.
La Curandera is graciously underwritten by:
The Arts Council of Sonoma County
The National Endowment for the Arts
Community Foundation Sonoma County
The Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund
Opening Gala by Dempsey's Restaurant
