Chicago Operetta plays Kálmán

Arizona Lady

Chicago Folks Operetta, with its rich tradition of premiering rarely heard operettas, is delighted to present the American premiere of Arizona Lady, the last operetta written by the great Hungarian composer Emmerich Kálmán. This romantic operetta will take you back to the rough-and-tumble, happy-go-lucky wild west of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. It tells the story of a tough but lonely ranch owner Lona Farrell, her horse, Arizona Lady, and their encounter with a strong-willed singing cowboy. The show evokes the spirit and sounds of the classic western movies, spiced with the exotic flavorings of Kálmán’s rich, lilting Hungarian melodies. Arizona Lady will feature some of the Chicago area’s finest opera singers, instrumentalists, and dancers. This wonderful cast is matched only by our experienced production staff, which includes director Bill Walters (Directing staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago), choreographer August Tye (Ballet Mistress and Choreographer at LOC), and lighting designer Michael Smallwood (Assistant technical director at LOC). This American premiere has a new translation by Hersh Glagov and Gerald Frantzen who also brought us the translations to the rare operetta gems Cloclo, Mitislav the Modern, Peter and Paul in the Land of Nod, Springtime and The Girl in the Train.

Arizona Lady was the last operetta Emmerich Kálmán wrote before his death in 1953. He wrote it with his longtime writing partner Alfred Grünwald as an homage to his adopted homeland. It was the first operetta they had written together since 1932. Kálmán, who had suffered a stroke in 1952, completed the orchestration of the score with Wolfgang Freebe in 1953 from his hospital bed in Austria. Lyrics were written by fellow Hungarian, Gustave Beer. The first performance of the operetta was a radio broadcast with the Munich Radio Orchestra in January 1954, six months after Kálmán’s death. A month later the stage premiere was given in Bern, Switzerland. There have only been two other productions of the operetta ever given; both in the mid 1950’s in Germany. Chicago Folks Operetta will not only be giving the operetta its American premiere but also will be the first performance of the piece in over a half-century.

This song was the first one from a B-western to be nominated for an Oscar in its first appearance in UNDER WESTERN STARS.
“Dust” was recorded by Roy Rogers as a Vocalion single in March of 1938. Nine years later, he sang the song again, this time accompanied by the Sons of the Pioneers.

The operetta will be performed in English, fully staged with a small orchestra. Performances will take place on July 17, July 22-24, July 29-31 at 7:30 pm with matinée performances July 18, July 24-25, July 31 and August 1 at 2 pm.

Chicago Folks Operetta is a non-profit theater company devoted to the nurturing of live operetta through articulate and dynamic productions. In the belief that the arts serve to illuminate the human condition, we are dedicated to the revival and development of operetta, a popular and accessible form of music and theater for general audiences. In particular, the CFO concentrates on producing both Viennese and American operettas from the early 20th century.

The company was founded in 2006 by the husband and wife team of Gerald Frantzen and Alison Kelly. Both are accomplished stage performers with wide-ranging credits including performances with Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Sarasota Opera, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago in additional to leading roles in The Phantom of the Opera. While living in Germany, the pair developed a love and appreciation for the cultural experience of the operetta genre, and is committed to bringing this same experience to North America.

Tickets are $30 for adults/$25 for seniors and groups of 10 or more, and are available for purchase at www.chicagofolksoperetta.org or by calling the box office at 773-327-5252. All performances will take place in the North Theater at The Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL.

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