The art form of opera may have no more fun-loving advocates than the artists of Mixed Precipitation. It’s been 16 years since they first launched the idea of presenting classic operas in community gardens and sweetening the deal with not only popular tunes that fit the story, but delicious organic hors d’oeuvres.
While the pandemic put the kibosh on the food sharing, the “Picnic Operetta” has subsequently evolved into the “Pickup Truck Opera,” with the company placing all of its scenery and props into a St. Paul-built Ford Ranger pickup and trailer and taking its totally unstuffy operas to audiences all around Minnesota.
For its latest late summer, early autumn adventure, the troupe has revived an adaptation it created in 2012: Taking one of Mozart’s first successful operas, “Idomeneo,” and splicing it with the kind of “Toxic Avenger”-style sci-fi film you would have found at a 1950s drive-in, adding some splendidly sung doo-wop music of the same era.
On Thursday night, “The Return of King Idomeneo” made its metro area debut, and, as one who’s caught almost all of the company’s annual productions, I came away feeling that it’s the best thing they’ve ever done. Director Paul Coate has helped create a show that maintains a crisp pace, tightly choreographed movement, well-developed characters and a fine faithfulness to the spirit of Mozart.
And surely the composer would have loved the concept, as he was known for finding ways to please the common folk with current pop culture references. And if you wanted to play one of his dramatic works for laughs, he reportedly was fine with that.
That’s what you get in this take on “Idomeneo,” for the original opera is definitely a drama. It takes place in the aftermath of the Trojan war that Homer spoke of in “The Iliad” and involves a shipwreck and a deal with the gods that may result in a king being forced to sacrifice his son.
That all sounds very serious, but Mixed Precipitation delivers it wrapped in winks and whimsy. Yet the singing is nevertheless quite serious, as Mozart’s arias, duets and particularly the layered choruses are quite well executed. And music director Gary Ruschman and the orchestra do creative things with the music, employing the instrumentation of guitar, violin, cello and accordion.
The opera’s best arias go to King Idomeneo and the embittered Electra, and those roles are shared over the course of this production’s monthlong run. On Thursday at St. Paul’s Harriet Island, Phill Takemura Sears was a marvelous Idomeneo, not only impressing on the tortured arias, but belting out some breathtaking falsetto lines on the doo-wop numbers. And Jill Morgan proved an electrifying Electra, particularly as she delivered an angry vow of vengeance while clutching a large fish. Kudos also to Joni Griffith and Kaoru Shoji as the romantic leads, but the whole cast impresses in this production, which ably balances the serious and silly.
![(L to R) Jacob Hanson, Page Burkum, Jack Torrey, Phillips Hicks and Tyler Burkum of the Cactus Blossoms performed at the Turf Club. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ • cgonzalez@startribune.com – St. Paul, MN – January 7, 2020, Turf Club, Two of Minnesota's best-loved roots music acts, the Cactus Blossoms, will warm up local music fans in January and stay active themselves with weekly residency gigs at the Turf Club.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/DFTAVBKNGZ5I7WIVVINIRPGUWE.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)