Regina

I want and saw Regina last night. When I heard it was an American opera, I thought that I probably wouldn't like it. But I was so wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The story was very good. There were greedy, selfish family members who would steal from or blackmail anyone to get what they wanted. There was even a plot to force Regina's daughter to marry her first cousin to keep the wealth in the family. These people were really horrible. Especially Regina. She was a cold-hearted monster. But the lady who played her part did a fabulous job. Her Husband was very loveable. He tried to protect his daughter from the family, although he was on his death bed. He and his daughter also did a fabulous job. One of my favorite characters was Birdie, the sweet lady who turned into an alcoholic rather than deal with the horrible family she was married into. And one of my favorite musical numbers was a Blues style duet that Birdie sang with Addie the maid.

The music was so enjoyable. I was afraid that American music wouldn't really fit into an opera style. But it was almost like a musical rather than an opera. The conductor for this opera was Utah Symphony's Keith Lockheart. There was Jazz, Blues, Spiritualism, and I am sure other styles that were very American and beautiful.