Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer...

Sorry for keeping you all in suspense on this one; been a bit overwhelmed with work and health stuff. So, how was the inaugural 2-in-1 spectacle of Professional Opera and Interpretive Wrestling that we call OperaMania? Well, the fact that I am optimistically appending they year in hope of repeat productions should be a good hint. I loved it! All of the performers were great, the show was quite cleverly assembled, and the (standing-room-only) crowd was hot. What more could you ask for? Other than to do it all again next year!

When I saw the flyer for OperaMania (November 26 at Tom Longboat Hall, a fun two-storey venue that used to be a gym), I knew I had to go. I adore professional wrestling and am a "casual" opera fan (I watch whatever the COC is staging, but don't really go out of my way to learn about new operas or listen to recordings), so the thought of opera and wrestling together is a dream come true. However, I'd be lying if I said I had any idea how OperaReview and Junction City Wrestling were actually going to pull this off!

What we got was Master of Ceremonies, Gregory Finney, leading us through a variety show where the singers and wrestlers brought to life the most dramatic moments of Carmen, Rigoletto, and Lucia di Lammermoor (with some "one off" set pieces mixed in).

The evening started out with OperaReview's Danie Friessen singing the Canadian national anthem (will I learn the full English lyrics before my citizenship ceremony, or will my Habs fan brain continue to rewrite it into French?). But she was rudely interrupted by Alexander Hajek Donald Trump, ranting and raving (though the boos were so loud, I have no idea what he actually said). Undeterred, Friessen procured a steel chair and handily dispatched him. This is when I knew the whole thing was going to work. Not because of the cheap heat setup, but because Friessen and Hajek were actually mixing it up in the ring. I went in worried that the whole night would be a disjointed alternation between singing and wrestling because... If you were a professional singer, why would you want to get thrown around or have someone hit you with a chair? But from minute one, you could tell Hajek was willing to put his body on the line to make this show a success - and, really, that's what us sickos who love professional wrestling want to see.

( Act 1 )

( Act 2 )

Overall, it was a great show. I really appreciated that they put some thought into how to play to both audiences. Where it mattered, we got explanations for the different opera. And they broke up the wrestling matches (I don't think any went more than ~5 minutes), so there wasn't much risk of the opera fans getting bored. Comedy and general good will filled in any remaining gaps, and what came out was a really special and unique night out.

Wrestling and Opera came together and met in the middle: vaudeville. Why does it work? I think wrestling and opera both have a connection to the music hall or popular performance tradition (maybe there is a good pun around "Opera Buff-a" to be made here?). In addition, both of them have a kind of maximalist aesthetic and prefer a non-naturalistic style of acting. I also think they both rely on similar story structures and have a similar understanding of morality. A lot of people who aren't wrestling fans find it deeply unsatisfying if the babyface (hero) wins by a fluke or just gets beaten down utterly by a cheating villain. But this is precisely the kind of story we see in opera as well.

All in all, it was probably one of the most memorable evenings I've had this year. So, OperaMania, please come back!