COCAINE BEAR: The Opera Comes to Orlando Fringe Next Month
Performances run May 14-27, 2024.
If a bear does cocaine in the woods, does anyone hear him? Inspired by a movie which was inspired by a true story, Cocaine Bear: The Opera is a story about what happens when a bear ingests cocaine, and everyone sings about it. The notes are high and so is the bear.
In 1985, a drug smuggler dropped a shipment of cocaine from his plane. It landed in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, where an American black bear found and ate it. In Cocaine Bear: The Opera, an only moderately dramatized version of events, the aforementioned bear then proceeds to enjoy a drug-fueled rampage filled with murder, mayhem, and Mozart. Cocaine Bear: The Opera is written and directed by Orlando Fringe Festival favorite, veteran director and storyteller, Eric Pinder (Driving Miss Cherry Blossom, Waiting For Napoleon). Pinder promises the same "wildly entertaining and darkly hilarious B-movie blood-fest" as the 2023 film - but this time, there's singing!.
Cocaine Bear: The Opera features the extraordinary vocal talent Orlando expects from Opera del Sol, including Maeghin Mueller, returning to Central Florida following the successful national tour of My Fair Lady and recently seen in Central Florida Vocal Arts' production of A Little Night Music. The title role of the Bear, will be embodied by countertenor David Lee Smith, most recently seen as the Sandman in Opera del Sol's Hansel and Gretel. The cast is rounded out by an extraordinary ensemble cast including Jose-Manuel Lopez (The Secret Garden, Noche de Zarzuela), Jessica Hoehn (A Little Night Music), and Christie Duffer (The Sound of Music)
In addition to a theatrical level of chaos that can only be achieved by a stimulant-driven forest animal, Fringe audiences will delight in their favorite operatic melodies from The Barber of Seville, Salome, Tosca and more. Opera del Sol is on a mission to connect with new audiences, by expanding the limits of the operatic genre, while creating a more inclusive and entertaining experience. Cocaine Bear: The Opera promises to deliver a high that will leave audiences craving more!
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