Now here’s some Opera I can understand without a phrasebook:  Susan Nicely starred as Julia Child in a one-woman performance of Bon Appetit!   It was a Dallas Opera presentation at the Dallas Farms Market.

Susan Nicely stars as Julia Child in Bon Appetit!

It was all in English, so I could follow it.

This show is a fun introduction to opera. It’s as though we’re the audience in a live presentation of The French Chef.  The character is a bit of a slapstick version of Julia Child.  Nicely sings each word with precision and guides us through the making of a bittersweet chocolate cake.

At first, it’s a bit jarring to see Julia Child making a mess and not really caring.  But once you suspend that bit of disbelief, it’s a lot of fun–and you actually learn something important about cooking as well:  it’s just food.  You can follow every step and have a great dish.  But you can make quite a few mistakes, cut a few corners and just have fun–you’ll STILL have something edible, even if it’s not prize-winning.

Susan Nicely

For an opera newby, this is a great show.  You can enjoy a lovely voice, follow the story without the need for subtitles, and do it all in an informal setting.

Sorry yoúve already missed it.  But  here’s a little clip of it from Nicely’s performance in Atlanta a couple of years ago.