Three Generations Of Mitchells In "La boheme"

2009-06-12 Features

Three Generations Of Mitchells In "La boheme"
Webster Groves family members relish work with Opera Theatre





	The Mitchell family onstage in their "La boheme" costumes. Pictured, from left: front row, Alex, Liza and Eric Mitchell; back row, Carl and Rick Mitchell. photo by Diana Linsley (click for larger version)

June 12, 2009
Taking the Opera Theatre stage this week in "La boheme," alongside a talented cast, are three generations of the Mitchell family: Carl Mitchell and his wife, Liza; their son, Rick; and Rick's sons, 13-year-old Alex and 8-year-old Eric.

Opera is all about the music, and although none of the Mitchells have singing roles - all are extras, or "supers" - these Webster Groves residents are thrilled with their ongoing participation in Opera Theatre.

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"This is the first time I can recall that grandparents, a parent and children are all in the same production," said Ann Fusz, Opera Theatre volunteer committee co-chair. "They are a very close family."

Carl Mitchell is a longtime Opera Theatre super. One by one, his family members have joined the tradition. His son Rick portrays a cafe patron, a soldier and a customs agent in "La boheme." It is the fourth time he has been involved as a super in an Opera Theatre production, and is happy to be sharing the stage with his family.

"It's great for the kids," he said. "Where else can they meet such professional singers? This is a very rare opportunity for them to be exposed to this kind of production."

Opera Theatre Volunteers

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis was founded in 1976, and has fostered the careers of a number of exceptional artists. Many of those artists have gone on to perform with the Metropolitan Opera, including Christine Brewer, Susan Graham, Nathan Gunn and more.

Opera Theatre draws patrons from across the United States and the world to its English-language productions, held May through June at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts in Webster Groves. In addition, its arts outreach programs have touched the lives of innumerable up-and-coming artists.

Every one of the Mitchells has been impressed by the quality of Opera Theatre's productions, from the artistic direction down to the smallest detail.





	Liza Mitchell and her grandsons, Alex and Eric, are on the left side of the stage, seated; Carl Mitchell is the waiter seated at the table. Rick Mitchell is part of the parade, wearing a band uniform and standing just in front of the flag. photo by Ken Howard (click for larger version)

"They're an incredibly talented organization," said Liza Mitchell.

Opera Theatre depends on volunteers to work alongside professional staffers for a host of duties. That's where people like the Mitchells come in. These jobs range from dressers, who help the performers with costume changes, to "kid wranglers," to supernumeraries or "supers."

"I don't think anyone realizes the time commitment all the volunteers put in," said Liza Mitchell. That commitment averages about 100 hours per production.

"We're just a few of the hundreds of volunteers Opera Theatre has," said Carl Mitchell. "There is an incredible cast of people who are supporting what goes on onstage."

For the past 20 years, volunteers have been recruited by two Webster Groves siblings, Ann and Ellen Fusz. It was the Fusz sisters who "discovered" the Mitchells when staffing for a 1993 production of "Billy Budd."

"We always have the challenge of needing men," said Ann Fusz. "At the time, Liza Mitchell and Ellen and I all taught together at Visitation Academy. Carl had just retired, so we said, 'Say, would he like to be in an opera?' We've used him every year since then."

Liza Mitchell, with her teaching experience, was a natural for the volunteer position of kid wrangler. For "La boheme," she helps with the children and also appears onstage in the role of cafe patron.

"La boheme"

Opera Theatre's production of Giacomo Puccini's "La boheme" is set in Paris in 1890, and tells the story of poet Rodolfo and painter Marcello and their paramours, Mimi and Musetta.

"It's a romance/tragedy," explained 13-year-old Alex Mitchell, who has taken to opera with an enthusiasm that belies his years.





	From left, Timothy Mix as Marcello, Amanda Majeski as Musetta, Steven Humes as Colline, Carl Mitchell as the waiter, and Eugene Chan as Schaunard. photo by Ken Howard (click for larger version)

"Alex started listening to opera when he was two," said his father. "He was enthralled with it."

Alex's role as Poor Child Number 1 in "La boheme" is his sixth foray onto the Opera Theatre stage, the first being the 2001 production of "Grand Duchess of Gerolstein."

"Ever since he's been involved in opera, he's wanted to do something with it in one capacity or another," said his mom, Sue Mitchell. "He's not sure where he wants to be, whether it's being the director, or creating the set, or being up onstage, but he wants to do something."

Sue Mitchell was a super in the 2002 production of "The Magic Flute." Her youngest son Eric was just a few months old at the time, but he was eventually recruited into the Opera Theatre family. "La boheme" is his second stage appearance.

"It's fun because everybody watches you," said Eric, who portrays Poor Child Number 2 in "La boheme."

Carl Mitchell gets what he calls "the cheap laugh" in the second act for his interaction with a canine cast member, played by the Fusz's dog, Maddie (Madeleine Noel is her "diva dog" name, said the sisters).

Rehearsals for "La boheme" began in early May, which called for a little creative parenting from the Mitchells. Luckily Rick Mitchell is self-employed and has a flexible schedule.

"With the boys, it takes a lot of planning," said Rick Mitchell. "It's like having a couple more jobs. I have to coordinate their schedules with the Opera Theatre schedule, with their mom's schedule, and juggle work."

The Fusz sisters said the Mitchells not only understand the time commitment involved in Opera Theatre productions, but they appreciate the educational benefits as well.

"Ann and I taught school for many years, and we can tell you not all of the children's lessons come from a textbook, or inside a classroom," said Ellen Fusz. "To watch a production develop from blocking rehearsals on up is really an amazing thing to behold."

Those walk-on roles the Mitchells have undertaken for "La boheme" are orchestrated right down to the last detail, they said, including the authentic look of the costumes.

"One of the things Opera Theatre does is pay attention to the small details so common that you don't even see them," said Liza Mitchell.

"I wear black tights, high shoes, a petticoat and skirt over that, even though nobody's going to see them," she said. "I really think it gets us into character."

All that clothing on a summer night in June can be a challenge, even in the air-conditioned comfort of the Virginia Jackson Browning Theater in the Loretto-Hilton Center.

"This is one of the few opportunities you have to wear a horse blanket in St. Louis in June," Carl Mitchell joked about his costume.

"La boheme" continues June 12, 14 and 20 at 8 p.m., with matinees June 17 and 27. The production features Alyson Cambridge as Mimi, Derek Taylor as Rodolfo, Amanda Majeski as Musetta, and Timothy Mix as Marcello. Puccini's glorious score is performed by talented members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Ari Pelto.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.experienceopera.org.

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