Manufacturing and the service industry are only the latest victims of outsourcing. "The Old Majestic" follows the final days of a vaudeville troupe whose jobs on the stage have been outsourced to the Hollywood Talkies.
Set in 1930, following the stock market crash, the troupe copes with the death of their hard-fought careers as true performers; they sulk. With a fusion of the silly and the sublime, Mary Medrick, librettist, revives those last days through hilarious one-liners and bits from actual stage routines.
While the Bob Hopes and Gypsy Rose Lees of the era were lucky enough to find work, the eight Vaudevillians of the Majestic Theater in San Antonio must move on with their lives. The libretto interweaves true wit and corny jokes of some of the real vaudeville stages' finest performers, most noticeably the side-splitting Eddie Cantor. This one is a story with a heart and a life all its own.
"The Old Majestic" is more than a standard "Rigoletto" style opera experience. The style of the show combines the Broadway musical with an operatic ensemble that gives a truly unique swing to the numbers. The house jumps with every music genre from the lovers' duet to a ragtime jitterbug to a sultry tango, all leading to the Grande Finale, worthy of a standing ovation all on its own.
The revered composer of this comedic trip through time and UT alumnus, Robert Xavier Rodriguez, will be in attendance, as this is the world-premier performance of "The Old Majestic."
UT Opera Presents: "The Old Majestic" by Robert Xavier Rodriguez. at the McCullough Theatre.
Showtimes: April 23 & 30 at 8 p.m. and April 25 & May 2 at 7 p.m.
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