The Orange Coast College music department is reviving its Opera Magnifica series after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. This year’s performance, titled “Once Upon an Island,” will take place on the weekend of Feb. 24-26, with evening performances on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. All performances will take place in OCC’s Music Recital Hall.
“Once Upon an Island opens in a post-apocalyptic world where all that’s left is one small land mass,” explains Director Susan Ali. “The main characters live together on this island, and they like to perform but they find that the only music that’s left is by Gilbert and Sullivan.”
Hijinks ensue, and the show will include a love story, pirates, and even a swamp monster.
“It’s meant to be a fun story,” says Ali. “The performance is an operetta, so it’s a little lighter, more comical, and has more dialogue than a grand opera would have. A lot of our students are young and haven’t done a lot of performing, so this is a great way to practice singing opera pieces.”
Once Upon an Island will include a collection of scenes by Gilbert and Sullivan, Handel, Romberg, Sonheim, and Dvorak. Both music major students and non-music major students will perform, as well as some members of the community. The cost to attend is $15 for the general public and $10 for students with ID. All proceeds from the weekend will go back toward supporting OCC’s music program.