Le Maréchal ferrant (1761)
(The Blacksmith)

FRANÇOIS-ANDRÉ DANICAN PHILIDOR, composer
English translation by NICK OLCOTT
Adaptation by nick olcott and ryan brown

from the French libretto by FRANÇOIS-ANTOINE QUÉTANT

Composed by Françoise-André Danican Philidor in 1761, this modern premiere of The Blacksmith marks the first time Opera Lafayette translates an 18th-century French opéra comique to be sung and spoken in English. Recapturing the humor and immediacy of the original, the company has adapted the story to the late 19th-century American West. The translation is by Nick Olcott with the adaptation by Olcott and Ryan Brown, Opera Lafayette’s founder and artistic director, from the French libretto by Françoise-Antoine Quétant. Opéra comique originally integrated  French vaudeville songs, allowing for audience sing-alongs. Brown has woven American folk songs from the Alan Lomax Collection, popular during the turn of the 19th century in America, into this adaptation. This production bridges country and city, celebrates rural themes, and invites audience participation by joining in to sing familiar folk songs like, “The Old Grey Mare,” “I Ride an Old Paint,” and “Red River Valley.”

Painting by Amy Severson @ 2019

Painting by Amy Severson @ 2019

Performances
In-Person & On Demand

Live from Mancos, CO

October 9-11, 2020

Presented in partnership with Mancos Creative District, Opera Lafayette presented Le Maréchal ferrant (The Blacksmith) in front of a live audience at the Reddert Ranch outside Mancos, Colorado. Originally scheduled for Mancos Opera House, due to COVID-19 the performances were moved outdoors at the ranch, in front of the historic Menefee Barn and Blacksmith Shop on Echo Basin Road. Bales of hay in the meadow in front of the barn designated the areas where each group could sit safely distanced from other audience members and at least 25 feet from the performers. Opera Lafayette established safety guidelines in-line with CDC recommendations for everyone to follow during the entirety of the production period. Watch a video about this and the behind-the-scenes of the production. Missed the show? Catch it online!

Proceeds benefitted Mancos Cattlemen’s Association & Mancos Creative District.

 

Online

STREAMING WITH LIVE INTERACTION: november 15, 2020, 2:00 p.m. (est)
on demand: november 16 - 29, 2020

Mancos, CO is the perfect backdrop to Opera Lafayette’s adaptation of The Blacksmith to the American West at the turn of the 19th-century. Staged outdoors on Ryan Brown’s family ranch, The Blacksmith is set in front of an historic Blacksmith Shop and Barn. The production features the return of Dominique Côté, Pascale Beaudin, and Sarah Shafer, as well as introduces singers to Opera Lafayette (Arnold Livingston Geis, Frank Kelley, and Joshua Conyers). The orchestra features Maestro Ryan Brown on his fiddle, two-time finger-plucking champion Adam Gardino on guitar, and Doug Balliett, contrabass, last heard with Opera Lafayette in An Evening of Monteverdi. Plus, the accompaniment is enhanced by local musicians on fiddle, guitar, and banjo. This performance will be unlike anything you have experienced with Opera Lafayette (and we are not just talking about the livestock), yet offer you the same artistry you have come to expect for the company.

Two ways to watch online:

Join us on Sunday, November 15, 2020, 2:00 p.m. (EST) for an interactive viewing party which includes a pre-show discussion with Maestro Brown, a post-performance conversation with the artists, and more.

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Opera Lafayette will also offer the performance only on demand from Monday, November 16 – 29, 2020.

Tickets for On Demand access coming soon.

 

Planned In-Person Performances

Please stay tuned as these may move online.

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Presenting

Artistic Team

Nick Olcott, Direction and Translation
Nick Olcott and Ryan Brown, Adaption
Lisa Schlenker*, Scenic Design
Marsha LaBoeuf*, Costume Design
Lisa Mion, Assistant Direction & Prop Design

Cast

Dominique Côté, Marcel
Pascale Beaudin, Claudine
Sarah Shafer, Jeannie
Arnold Livingston Geis*, Cody
Frank Kelley*, Slim MacBride / Banjo
Joshua Conyers*, Eustis

Musicians

Ryan Brown, violin
Adam Gardino, guitar
Doug Balliett, contrabass

*Opera Lafayette Debut

More About the Show

BEHIND-THE-BARN

Go behind-the-scenes of Opera Lafayette’s production of The Blacksmith as the cast and crew travel by car from all around the country to convene on a historic blacksmith shop in Mancos, Colorado.

GET TO KNOW THE SHOW

Watch as Maestro Brown, Nick Olcott, and performers give you a taste of what’s to come! Learn how opéra comique historically is heard in the vernacular, and this production translates and brings this story to the American West!

#OLGOESWEST

Starting in September, our cast and crew made their way to Mancos, CO from all over the country. To do this safely, many drove from far distances. They quarantined for a two-week period prior to the commencement of rehearsals. Follow along as the cast and crew documents their unique experiences on our blog and on Instagram and Facebook using #OLGoesWest.