PortSide's Puccini on the Tanker Gets Noticed

Tonight is the first performance of Puccini's "Il Tabarro" on the deck of our favorite converted tanker, PortSide New York's Mary A. Whalen. The production has gained wide notice in New York City, as one would expect for an opera on a boat that will include real stevedores. It's also in today's Christian Science Monitor. Here's an excerpt from the excellent story:

In most productions of Puccini's maritime opera "Il Tabarro," you do not see a seagull swoop down and mysteriously levitate its way across the stage. Nor do you find singers shifting their balance as a commuter ferry rushes by. But those are the chances you take when you stage Puccini on the deck of an oil tanker.

The Vertical Player Repertory, a small opera company in Brooklyn, is taking the notion of Italian realism to a new level in a new production of "Il Tabarro" ("The Cloak") set on the Mary A. Whalen, a retired 1938 oil tanker docked in Brooklyn's Red Hook Marine Terminal.

During the run of four performances, which begin Friday and continue through Sept. 16, the performers not only must master the vocal and emotional nuances of Puccini's tragic love story – set on a barge on the River Seine in Paris – but they must do so without getting seasick.

"In a normal opera you have so many things – lights, costumes, sets, audiences to deal with. It can be chaotic," says Peter Szep, the company's music director. "On top of that you have winds, boats, tides, helicopters, and just the acoustics of this odd space, which you don't normally have to deal with."

You can read the full story here. Performances are today (9/7) and Sunday (9/9) as well as next Friday (9/14) and Sunday (9/16). Performances are at 7PM. There is a reception each day at 5PM. Opera tickets are $25 and reception tickets are $35. Tickets for both are $60. If you want tickets, you can click here.