Over 16 seasons, Vegas City Opera has grown its audience base by doing things a little differently.
Take their current production — an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. The local arts organization decided to take a cue from composer Philip Glass and his operatic treatment of the soundtrack to the 1946 film La Belle et la Bete. Glass dreamt up a new, more stripped-down score. On January 30 and 31, VCO will sync it up — via its musicians — with the film, while live singers will provide the vocals.
It'll be a far cry from the culturally dominant representation of the story for the last four decades.
"When I was doing some research, I found a quote that said Disney's version tells you how to feel about love, but with Philip Glass' [score], it lets you drift into different ideas," said Jawan Jenkins, Vegas City Opera performer and board member, and assistant professor of voice at UNLV.
Local mezzo-soprano Courtney Ankerfelt will play Belle, and baritone Jenkins will offer his take on the Beast.
"What I really enjoy with this one is that Beast is kind of characterized a little bit differently," Jenkins said. "He's more animalistic, but his music is also still legato, and it shows a vulnerable side to him. There's a good arc to his character as well."
Opera has many traditionalist fans, and VCO is mindful of them. But it clearly gives equal consideration to thwarting the audience's expectations when programming their seasons.
"I think [programming decisions are] based on a need, and also what an audience would like to experience," Jenkins said. "What I really enjoy about Vegas City Opera is that it's opera outside of the box."
Jenkins' debut with VCO was in late 2021 with La BoDead, a modern update of Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème that incorporated a plotline about a virus to parallel the post-COVID era.
"It's kind of tricky, because there are so many opera lovers who prefer to have things the way that it was intended," Jenkins said. "But I think whenever you're trying to draw in new audiences, and especially younger audiences, it's important to find a way to connect with what's going on."
Jawan Jenkins, Vegas City Opera performer and board member, assistant professor of voice at UNLV.
