A Champagne dream of a weekend
“Wild” tales take over the town, thanks to Opera Saratoga and Bocage
You are reading a sneak peek version of The Dispatch: Daily News in the Spa City.
“You remind me of a cartoon skunk.”
A sharp-eared opera-goer went into intermission glowing about this now-iconic line in Opera Saratoga’s re-imagined La Vie parisienne’s final performance at UPH Saturday night, June 28. “I want to call someone that now,” said the opera fan, while everyone marveled at the Pepé Le Pew moment tucked into the satirical, “fun and frothy” Jacques Offenbach operetta, which is sung in French.
The whole opera takes place during the decadent, scandalous 1860s Paris, for which playwright Tim Drucker wrote new English dialogue — including the cartoon skunk line, and other gems I’m sure people who saw it multiple times started to uncover. On closing night, the cast really got into the party spirit.
“We were extra wild,” admitted one performer.
“We were having so much fun up there,” agreed a second.
“I always try to add in something funny, but people were actively trying to make people laugh on stage,” said a third.
No wonder the evening felt like a breath of fresh air. And the singers seemed like they had been working side-by-side for their whole careers, not just six weeks in Saratoga. There are too many stars to start naming names, but Tivoli Treloar was radiant as Metella, the opera star who made the searing takedown of one of her many suitors by comparing them to a pungent little animal.
The singers departed today, after celebrating the end of the season with badminton and BBQ at Board President Steve Rosenblum’s house Sunday evening. Fantine Douilly — wielding major star power as the company’s resident Frenchie — talked passionately to guests about the state of the arts in France outside of Paris. She is fascinating and the perfect steward for the arts.
“It looks too pretty eat.”
It was the ultimate compliment from one of the guests at Bocage Champagne Bar’s “Seaside Sips” tasting Sunday. But chef Connor DeMarco was ready:
“It tastes better than it looks.”
Guests at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. were treated to a six-course wine and food pairing, led by Beth Antías and Eva Wildrick, of Regal Wine Imports. They finished each other’s sentences despite being polar opposites in many ways, taking guests on a foodie dream of a tour through Portugal.
“We’ll start with a low-alcohol, aperitif-style vinho verde, since no one wants to get tipsy on an empty stomach,” said Beth. “Speak for yourself,” jumped in Eva.
There was also a Pet-Nat Rosé (“is that a water-color paper label?” asked one guest, an artist). It was followed by a stand-out orange wine, and a light red by a producer, Natalia Jessa, who was quoted as saying, “Drink it, don’t overthink it.” The wines finished with a treat of a red from the Douro Valley and — since this is Europe we’re talking about — a tawny port.
After the stunning first course (watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew topped with a perfect slice of cured ham), the food courses included a sardine toast with a bright burst of Champagne vinaigrette, and a rustic serving of summery gazpacho. Then there was a delicious marinated octopus followed by melt-in-your-mouth braised pork with a spicy dipping sauce. Dessert was a custard tart.
Conversation flowed among the now-chummy guests after about the second course and included such hard-hitting topics as “do all pilots cheat?” Since the gossip nose-dived from there, we’ll save it for the next indulgent soirée at Bocage.
Abby Tegnelia is on the Board of Saratoga Opera and does contract work with Bocage, but paid full price for all experiences. All opinions are her own.
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