Va Team Yale!

These girls can't-can't lose their shoes
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The ORPHEE performance pleasantly turned into a bit of a family affair. At the dress rehearsal we were joined once again by Dean Masse as well as Elena, the daughter of an Orchestra Verdi violinist. Adelaide and Ana were also able to introduce us to their moms and dads, who were all seeing ORPHEE for the very first time. We also heralded the arrival of Gennard Lombardozzi, who came to Milan just in time to support his wife Christy’s performance as Diane. Eric will have to wait until RONDINE to see his mother.

Nick, Ed, and Eric assure me that this is how Italian senoritas like to receive their men
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This performance was a perfect illustration of the team effort that it takes to make the Milan project a success. Eric took up the role of stage director to coordinate the visual gags. Adelaide found a good Italian gossip magazine to use as a prop. Ed transported his bee costume from New Haven in his suitcase (special thanks to Martha Lehr for designing the costume and allowing it to cross the Atlantic). Grant’s wife solved the problem of flying shoes during the can-can by finding a sewing store that sold black ribbon (“nastro nero”) to attach the ladies’ slingback shoes to their ankles. When one singer sprained an ankle on the afternoon of the performance, the Yale School of Medicine's own Dr. Jim Perlotto came to the rescue by making a dressing room call just before curtain.

The ORPHEE performance pleasantly turned into a bit of a family affair

Adelaide greets her parents following the performance
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The result was a performance that received a huge ovation. After the can-can, the auditorium rang with shouts of “Bis! Bis!” demanding an encore. (Interesting side note – “Bis” is a French word, shouted by an Italian audience for a performance by singers from America, Serbia, Albania, and Venezuela. Globalization on every level). The encore didn’t come right away, but after the fourth curtain call, Maestro Grazioli ascended the podium and the orchestra and singers delivered a frenzied finale. The backstage scene following the performance was a mishmash of singers, orchestra musicians, faculty, and families – reveling in a successful performance, looking forward to an evening out and a morning off.