A black-hearted villain (boo!) a heroine (yay!) and a rotten scoundrel (hiss!) will take to the stage this weekend in Ouray’s traditional, old-fashioned summer melodrama at the Wright Opera House.
This year’s selection is “Treasure of Shiver River, or … it’s Hard to Drive Cattle when their Horns are Frozen,” directed by Kate Jones.
In the tradition of melodramas, audience participation is encouraged and the actors in the show are pretty much counting on them to cheer, clap and maybe even throw a little popcorn.
Musical cues from pianist Dee James help the audience know who’s entering and exiting the stage – sure enough, if it sounds romantic, the love interests are on stage together. And if the tune turns dark and brooding, the villain is sure to be close. It’s all about having fun and exaggerating the characters’ qualities – there’s nothing subtle about a melodrama.
Having permission to be over the top is one of the best things about acting in a melodrama, according to Alex Boukis, who plays Marshal Marshall Law in the play. He describes his character as a happy-go-lucky marshal, who is “maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed,” which leads to some humorous gaffes. The lovestruck marshal wants to marry Heidi Claire Sanders, played by Morgan Clark, but without his grandmother’s wedding ring, he can’t propose. He’s too poor to buy it back from the person who won it in a card game.
This play features a variety of show-stealing roles, including a pirate queen, a semi-reformed gambling lady, and an auctioneer who was tricked into thinking he’s a dog by a con artist, who has a colorful array of accents. There’s a romance novel-loving evil sidekick named Paige Turner, aptly named in melodramatic fashion.
There’s a villain without an evil laugh – which means an evil laugher needs to be appointed from the audience to play the part.
For Boukis, the more the audience interacts, the better the vibe of the performance.
“I love how cheeky and kind of silly it is,” Boukis said. “I feel like a melodrama is just really fitting for the stage and you get to overact. And overacting presents a lot of opportunities to make people laugh. You’re not confined or constrained by seriousness.”
The cast includes a variety of actors, from young to older, including two 13-year-olds, Afton Hineline and William Twyford, who are acting in their first melodrama. Each character adds to the rich tapestry that makes up the show, which is pretty much how it goes every year.
If you come, bring your willingness to participate and your sense of humor. And you should come, Boukis said.
“It’s a tradition, it’s a fun thing to do and it’s also a really great way to support the arts,” he said.
The melodrama runs Friday through Monday, with showtimes at 7 p.m. each night. Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 at the door and $5 for students. For tickets visit thewrightoperahouse. org.
