My overall impression
While an operatic treatment of Aesop’s Fables might seem either inappropriately highbrow, or a case of Reader’s Theater gone mad, Aesopera is, in fact, a fast, fun, and surprisingly touching show. The conceit of using these timeless morality tales as a lens for viewing modern society works surprisingly well, since human nature doesn’t appear to have changed noticeably since the the 5th Century B.C.E. With one brief tale flowing into the next, the show switches gears quickly and easily between satire (the witty evisceration of electoral politics in “The Frogs and The Crane”) and tragedy (the sometimes deadly consequences of our assumptions about love and gender in “The Queen and The Dragon”). Benefiting from a lively score, gorgeous singing, and performances that are both heartfelt and witty, Aesopera offers a unique twist on its classic source material, and delivers one of the definite highlights of the Fringe festival.
