Amanda is Xerxes

Friday night was Amanda's first starring role in an opera (or any stage production, for that manner). She was Xerxes, the King of Persia, singing the lead role in the opera by Handel. It was really a great evening. She did a terrific job. It was great because the opera had lots of humor in it, so it made the 3 hours just fly by. Even Ed was able to stay awake throughout the entire production despite having taken an early flight home from Baltimore that same morning.

Grandma and Ed (Melzer) were there from Utah. Nora drove up from Centennial, and Justin and his parents came up from Broomfield. Amanda didn't realize that she had the lead role till they staged their bows. When she realized she was the last person to come out for bows it suddenly dawned on her that she finally was the lead singer. It has been a long journey for her, which made it extra special.

The opera was sung in Italian with English and Spanish subtitles. Greeley has a significant migrant population, some of whom might enjoy opera...who knows?

They staged the opera in Iran (Persia in 1979), so Amanda's Xerxes was really the Shah of Iran. It actually added a lot to the fun of the show. They even had a machine gun on stage, which added to the drama. In the fuzzy picture Amanda is the one on the left. I liked her white suit!