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Utah Opera’s Ongoing Production Brings a Relatable Experience to the Stage — The Airport Layover
‘Flight’ by Jonathan Dove and April De Angelis Sees a Group of Strangers Come Together in Unexpected Ways
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — It’s not always easy to relate personally to the storylines of classic operas — a prince is given a magic flute to protect him on a journey through a mythical land, a Roman diva must give herself to her captor or sentence her true love to death, a cursed clown’s daughter sacrifices her own life to save her father. While most of us don’t have real-life context for these situations, the Utah Opera’s ongoing production of the comedic opera “Flight” takes on an experience that’s all too familiar — an airport layover.
“This is a situation a lot of us can relate to,” says Utah Opera Chorus Director Michaella Calzaretta. “And chances are, you’ll see yourself or someone you know reflected in the characters!”
These characters, played by a cast made up of regulars at The Metropolitan Opera as well as the Utah Opera’s own 2021–22 Resident Artists, each bring their own baggage — literal and figurative — to the airport. Among them are a married couple working to save their marriage, a diplomat and his very pregnant wife, a sarcastic older woman…
