About the Story…
Tony, an aging Italian vineyard owner, is having a mail order love affair with an American waitress named Rosabella. He decides to propose to her through the mail, but leery of revealing his age, sends her a picture of his handsome ranch foreman, Joe. When Rosabella learns that the picture is not of Tony and tries to leave, she is persuaded to marry Tony even though she has growing affections for Joe.
Sung in English
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Preview an audio clip from The Most Happy Fella!
Standing on the Corner
Read more about the opera and it’s iconic Broadway composer, Frank Loesser, on our blog and in the February 2013 issue of Intermission Magazine.
About the Artists….
Baritone, Kim Josephson, will play Tony in The Most Happy Fella. Josephson is hailed as one of opera’s most versatile baritones and is a regular guest of leading opera companies. He has performed more than 240 performances of 28 roles including the title role in Rigoletto, Germont in La Traviata, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore for the Metropolitan Opera. He has also appeared at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, most notably as Eddie Carbone in the world premiere of William Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge and, from the standard repertoire, Rigoletto, Germont, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Marcello in La Boheme. He is the recipient of many honors, including the William Sullivan/George London Foundation Award, Baltimore Opera Vocal Competition, Enrico Caruso International Vocal Competition, Loren Zachary Foundation Award, and the Puccini Foundation Award.
Katrina Thurman, soprano, will play Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella. Thurman has been praised for her “silvery, floating soprano” and is one of the most promising talents of her generation, captivating audiences and critics alike with her distinctively beautiful voice, powerful stage presence, sensitive artistry, and physical beauty. Thurman’s previous roles include Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow with Shreveport Opera, Gilda in Rigoletto and Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore with Sacramento Opera, Maria in The Sound of Music with Anchorage Opera, Isabella Beecher in an evening of highlights from Victoria Bond’s Mrs. President at Symphony Space in New York in conjunction with Anchorage Opera, and the cover of Eurydice in Telemann’s Orpheus with New York City Opera. She has her Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music from Oklahoma City University, and currently resides in New York City.
Christopher Feigum, baritone, will return to Tulsa Opera in The Most Happy Fella. His dynamic stage presence and elegant musicianship with America’s leading opera companies and orchestras have awarded him critical acclaim. Feigum’s most notable role in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (San Francisco Opera, Opera Colorado, Houston Grand Opera, and Tulsa Opera) won him praise for his “mellifluously sung, elegantly acted Figaro . . . the quality of his voice and singing is matched by his amiably confident platform manner” (Opera Now). Other previous performances include Haly in L’Italiana in Algeri and Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte at Santa Fe Opera; Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Colorado, Opera Pacific and Madison Opera; the title role in Don Giovanni and Belcore in The Elixir of Love at Tulsa Opera; Capulet in Romeo et Juliette at Madison Opera and Surin in Pique Dame at Dallas Opera.
Mezzo-soprano, Alissa Anderson, will play the role of Cleo in The Most Happy Fella. Anderson has sung with the opera companies of Santa Fe, Ft. Worth, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, New Jersey, Amarillo, Des Moines, Nevada, and Opera Southwest. Most notably was her recent unscheduled debut with The Santa Fe Opera as Florence Pike in Albert Herring. Her roles include; Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Zulma in L’italiana in Algeri, Flora in La traviata, Mother in Hansel und Gretel, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and Lampito in Lysistrata. She holds a Master of Music from The University of Maryland.
Baritone, Curt Olds, will portray Herman in The Most Happy Fella. Olds has a versitle career in both opera and musical theater with roles that include Don Pasquale, The Magic Flute, Three Penny Opera, and Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. His recent engagements include Pirates of Penzance with both Edmonton Opera and Arizona Opera, Orpheus in the Underworld with Central City Opera, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Merry Widow with the Southwest Arizona Symphony, and Pete ‘n’ Keely at Actor’s Rep. Olds was also featured on the soundtrack of the Disney animated film “A Christmas Carol” and the syndicated PBS feature Northwest Explorer. He has received great critical acclaim as “…a wonderful singing actor as adept in pointing dialog as in phrasing song” (Opera News) “with fine comic timing and a warm inviting voice…” (Dayton Daily News). A Montana native, Olds holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Boston’s New England Conservatory and currently resides in New York City.