The latest Q Artistry production, The Donner Party Opera, is based on the real story of the tragedy of the Donner expedition to California. For those unfamiliar with the sad tale, here’s a quick summary: The Donners, plus several other families, set out for the West in 1846, followed some bad travel advice, and were snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains where they started dying from starvation — until a few of them resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. Of the 87 to start the journey, only 48 survived to get to California. Many of the children survived, but were orphaned. It was a harrowing ordeal that was sensationalized by the press, marking the survivors for the rest of their lives. The Donner Party became part of the national consciousness —forever associated with cannibalism and misadventure.
Yet Ben Asaykwee managed to translate this tragic story into a comic opera with a mixed cast of seasoned performers and children. The show is a product of Q Artistry’s ambitious mentoring program, QKids, where experienced professionals work with kids in the community to create original and imaginative theatre. The Donner Party Opera’s opening performance at the Irvington Lodge on May 9 was to a standing-room-only crowd. The spartan set, with simple white background and “snow” of crumpled paper, allowed the audience to concentrate on the strong voices on the stage telling this tale of woe. Musically, this is the most ambitious work Asaykwee has tackled for Q Artistry since the blockbuster ZirkusGrimm. Yes, it is gruesomely funny, with lots of cannibalism puns, but there are some tender and lyrical moments as well.
The cast of 16 young performers and 16 pros carry the challenging score very well. From time to time, the acoustics of the building made it a little hard to hear the softer voices, but they still managed to convey the story and make a big impression.
There are only three more performances of The Donner Party Opera — May 16 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and May 17 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1468414 or at the door. General admission is $15 at the door, or $13 for students and seniors (online ticket sales subject to a service fee).