Artistic Director and conductor Aaron Kaplan will lead 10 musicians from his acclaimed JAM Orchestra in a chamber production of “Dr. Seuss at the Opera” to introduce children ages 3-9 to their first opera or concert experience Oct. 15 at the Skokie Theatre. (Jam Orchestra)
Two favorite children’s stories will introduce youngsters to the artform of opera when Skokie Theatricals NFP presents Robert Kapilow’s “Dr. Seuss at the Opera” Oct. 15 at the Skokie Theatre.
Northbrook resident Aaron Kaplan will lead 10 members of his acclaimed JAM Orchestra in hourlong performances of the chamber version of the opera at 10 a.m. and noon. The program is designed to be a first concert or opera experience for kids ages 3-9 with their families. This is the first performance in JAM Orchestra’s planned “Classics for Kids” series. Jenilee Houghton is the director.
“If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s the importance of live performances,” Kaplan said. He noted that because there haven’t been live performances for young people for several years, “I wanted to create something that would be interesting for them and not just a typical classics for kids show. I wanted it to be something totally different. Being exposed to the arts at a young age not only helps with brain development but it always exposes them to a bigger world.”
Since Kaplan is a longtime fan of the stories of Dr. Seuss, opening his “Classics for Kids” series with “Dr. Seuss at the Opera” was an easy decision. “I grew up reading the books with my parents and watching the animated television specials and I’ve directed ‘Seussical the Musical,’” Kaplan said.
The show contains operatic versions of two popular Dr. Seuss stories, “Gertrude McFuzz” and “Green Eggs and Ham.”
The show will begin with a short discussion of what an opera is and what the instruments are that the audience will hear. The musicians will each briefly demonstrate the sound of the instruments they will be playing during the concert.
Soprano soloist Desirée Hassler will play the role of the narrator, explaining what’s happening. Soprano soloist Colleen Bruton will be Gertrude in “Gertrude McFuzz” and Sam I Am in “Green Eggs and Ham.”
“They will be telling the story through the libretto,” Kaplan explained.
Oak Park resident Hassler has known Kaplan since they both attended University of Illinois. “We share the same love of music that has a lot of creativity and imagination,” she said. “So when he approached me about doing this project, what really drew me to it was the idea that it has so much imagination and creativity and humor. It’s very playful.”
Hassler, who is the mother of four children ages 10-18, has fond memories of trying to expose her children to music “and teach them what it means to go to a concert” when they were younger, she said.
Hassler has a busy professional music career. She earned a master’s degree and a doctorate from University of Illinois and has a full-time position as a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Chorus. In addition, she teaches in the voice department at Moody Bible Institute.
“The thing that’s beautiful about this particular concert is that it’s designed for kids, it’s very imaginative, and it’s an hour or less,” Hassler said of “Dr. Seuss at the Opera.” “So it’s going to be easy to sit through and very engaging for kids of all ages.”
Hassler admitted that, like Kaplan, she is also a Dr. Seuss fan.
“It’s really fun learning this music because the words for ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ and “Gertrude McFuzz’ I’ve said many times, reading those books to my kids,” Hassler said. “Learning the music is so wonderful because it highlights a lot of the big fun emotions that are in those two books.”
‘Dr. Seuss at the Opera’
Where: Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie
Information: 847-677-7761; skokietheatre.org/dr-seuss.html
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.