THE HAUNTED MANOR

Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819 Minsk -1872 Warsaw)

NEW TRANSLATION A buoyant and colorful comedy, by a composer revered in Poland as second only to Chopin, kicks off when two young soldiers, brothers, in a burst of patriotic fervor, vow to remain single in order to be instantly available to answer the summons of duty - a not unlikely possibility in their perennially besieged homeland. Their determination shifts radically after an eventful night spent in a reputedly haunted house, as plotted by two lively and somewhat mischievous ladies.

DATE	TIME	VENUE
April 19, Sun.	2:00 PM	Legion of Honor
April 26, Sun.	2:00 PM	Legion of Honor
May 9, Sat.	2:00 PM	Julia Morgan Theater

ROLES

Characters	Voice
Miecznik (The Marshall)	Baritone
Anna (his daughter)	Soprano
Georgina (her sister)	Mezzo-Soprano
Stefan (a hussar)	tenor
Frederich (his brother, a hussar)	bass
Clotilda (their aunt)	Mezzo-Soprano
Maxie (their servant)	Baritone
Skoluba (Miecznik's head servant, gatekeeper)	Bass
Pan Damazy (a Frenchman)	tenor
Marta (housekeeper)	Mezzo-Soprano
Grzes (a farm hand)	Baritone
Old woman	Mezzo-Soprano
Chlopiec (a house-boy)	speaking role


Patrycja Poluchowicz ROLE: Anna	Todd Donovan ROLE: Frederich	Meghan Dibble ROLE: Clotilda

Michael Mendelsohn ROLE: Damazy	Dalyte Kodzis ROLE: Georgina	Darren Flagg ROLE: Stefan

"It is hard to think of a more prodigiously tuneful opera after Mozart than The Haunted Manor" wrote one critic. Greatly beloved in Poland where it is often performed, and where it is considered the quintessential Polish opera, comparable to The Bartered Bride, the quintessential Czech opera, yet it is practically unknown elsewhere. Pocket Opera, nudged by a matching grant from the National Endow-ment for the Arts, comes to the rescue!

Two young soldiers, in a characteristically Polish burst of patriotic fervor, make a vow to remain single in order to be instantly available in case of need - a not unlikely prospect, considering their homeland's turbulent history and its precarious location, sandwiched between two powerful and aggressive neighbors, Russia to the East, Prussia to the West.

This causes great consternation among the unmarried ladies in a land largely depleted of eligible men, due to decades of losses on the battlefield. Despite the somber background, a lively, exuberant, romantic comedy emerges, with a parade of colorful characters and a sparkling, ever flowing stream of dancelike melodies - the mazurka, the polonaise, the krakoviak . . .

How does the haunted manor come into play? Come and find out!