Cinnabar Theater presents Puccini’s

 

The Girl of the Golden West

 

Oct. 20 – Nov. 11, 2006

 

Stage Director: Elly Lichenstein

 

Music Director: Nina Shuman

 

Run Dates: Oct. 20* (8:00), 21** (8:00), 28 (8:00), 29 (2:00) and Nov 1 (7:30), 3 (8:00), 5 (2:00), 8 (7:30), 10 (8:00) & 11 (8:00)

 

*Optional pre-show opening night gala, provided by Lombardi’s Gourmet BBQ

  Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. (add $10). Special guest lecturer: Come to the gala and hear a brief history of the California Gold Rush courtesy of a Wells Fargo historian.

 

** Post-show Chamber Chat Oct. 21 Enjoy a glass of wine and a discussion with the cast and directors of The Girl of the Golden West. No additional charge.

 

Venue: Cinnabar Theater, 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N, Petaluma

 

The Story:  The year is 1850 in the new California Territory. In the Cloudy Mountain gold mining camp there is only one law: every man for himself. Minnie's saloon, The Polka, offers the miners a place to escape their daily routine of fights  and lynchings. A place to eat a good meal, drink their whiskey straight, dream of love and home and of making a killing at the Faro table. But their world is turned upside down upon the arrival of a stranger, who may steal their gold or their beloved Minnie's heart. Either way, they stand to lose. Tensions mount when the sheriff himself wants the girl and the Wells Fargo agent wants the notorious bandit, Ramerrez.

 

Here's Puccini at his most surprising. He's created a richly dramatic love story, set against the outlaw days of the California Gold Rush. Musically, this opera has all of the brilliant characteristics of Puccini's later works. Breathtaking percussive passages punctuate the score in complex, brilliant style, while sumptuous arias flow seamlessly throughout. It is a rare masterpiece that explores the full range of vocal color and characterization, and Puccini himself considered it his finest work.

 

Partial underwriting provided by Wells Fargo Bank. Look for the Wells Fargo stagecoach at Lombardi’s Gourmet BBQ at 3413 Petaluma Blvd. North on October 20 from 5:00-8:30 pm. A photographer will be on hand for photo opportunities!

 

Tickets: $32 general/$30 seniors and students

 

For Tickets or Information: Cinnabar Box Office at 707.763-8920 or log onto our website at www.cinnabartheater.org

 

 

Cast (with cities of residence):

 

San Francisco  

Kathleen Sisco – Minnie

William Neely – Jack Rance

John Davey Hatcher – Dick Johnson

Jeffrey Wang – Trin

Adam Meza - Handsome

Brian Rosen – Sid, Castro

Andrew Cox – Harry

 

Santa Rosa  

Adrian Boyer - Joe

Will Hart Meyer – Jake Wallace

Craig Work - Chorus

 

Petaluma

James Pfeiffer - Happy

Tom Brown – Chorus

 

Sonoma

Diego Garcia – Larkens, Billy Jackrabbit

John Bonnoitt - Ashby

 

Vallejo

Miguel Evangelista – Nick

 

Angwin

Ted von Pohle – Sonora

 

Windsor

Elizabeth Henry– Wowkle

 

Sebastopol

Dennis Drury – Chorus

 

San Rafael

Steven Lockett - Chorus