It’s true — I missed my own party.
Can you believe the Dispatch turned one year old yesterday?
I’ll whip something up to celebrate next week.
In the meantime…
Opera everything — My Fair Lady and ‘magic’-al review of Elixir of Love
Rick Cobello’s book inspired by Saratoga’s 1930’s crime families
SPAC/BalletX pics
Where to pay your respects to the horses who perished in the June 6 fire 🙏
— Abby
🍿 Reviews are in: Opera Saratoga’s ‘Elixir of Love’ is ‘magic’
Real-life couple Joseph Parrish and Shelén Hughes Camacho at Opera Saratoga’s June 4 gala and on stage at UPH in ‘Elixir of Love.’ The couple brought the house down during December’s sold-out La bohème. (Photos by NUA Photography Co.)
To write something as local and insider-y as the Dispatch, you must actually be a part of the community. So take the bias as you wish — I’m proudly on the board of Opera Saratoga — but after a year together, Dispatchers, have I ever steered you wrong?
And if you don’t trust me, trust the Berkshire Eagle’s glowing review. (They’re tough.)
Christine Taylor Price at the gala and on stage as Eliza Doolittle (with Nathan Romporti) in ‘My Fair Lady.’ (Photos by NUA Photography Co.)
Here’s what you need to know about Elixir:
Elixir of Love is in Italian with huge subtitles on a projector. And these are no ordinary subtitles — they’ve been given the Hollywood treatment.
The singing in Elixir might make you forget to breathe for a moment. “Guess I like opera,” was overheard in the restroom during intermission.
The (as I said, tough) Berkshire Eagle’s reviewer writes, “In Opera Saratoga’s nimble hands, Gaetano Donizetti’s charming romantic comedy became even more timeless,” after a headline blaring, “Opera Saratoga’s ‘The Elixir of Love’ turns Donizetti’s classic into Hollywood magic.”
Did I mention the high-fashion costumes, dramatic movie set and laugh-out-loud moments?
There are two more performances: tomorrow (June 25) and Saturday (June 27) at 7 p.m. Pop over to the UPH box office or buy online.
Bill Army at the gala and (as Henry Higgins) on stage with Taylor Price and Nazrin Azlan Alymann in ‘My Fair Lady.’ (Photos by NUA Photography Co.)
PLUS: There’s still “one of the most beloved musicals of all time,” My Fair Lady!
If you hurry, you can catch this crowd favorite at 7 p.m. tonight. Just go on over to the box office or buy online.
The last two shows are Friday at 7 and Sunday at 2.
📚 The descendants of Saratoga’s Depression-era crime families inspire the first book in a new series by local Rick Cobello
Abby: You’re a former Chief Information Security Officer, enterprise IT executive, and cybersecurity advisor who worked on some pretty large-scale projects during your 40 year-career. Why write a book instead of enjoying a more relaxed retirement?
Rick Cobello: I’ve written most of my life — nonfiction tech — but I always wanted to write fiction about my cybersecurity career. I have five books planned; the first is a Catherine King Adventure set in Saratoga, built around the National Horse Showcase — a real event, though never actually held here.
I ran the backstretch for years and lived on Broadway, so I know the city’s real vibe. Retirement finally let me plot it all out. I even did the final edits on a three-week cruise.
Abby: Writing poolside … now that’s retirement. Was there one story you kept thinking about?
Rick: What became of the descendants of Saratoga’s 1930s crime families? That question gave me my antagonist, Donnie Vescari, and let me play with the city’s “secret” tunnel folklore.
Abby: Why else is Saratoga such a vibrant backdrop?
Rick: The Adelphi is practically a character; its revival is one of Saratoga’s great stories. Congress Park, the springs, the Race Course, Broadway in summer — few small cities have all that.
Abby: True. Tell me about your process and what you have planned for the rest of the series.
Rick: Big ideas first, then a conflict and resolution for each, then “beat sheets” to shape the chapters. Book 2 is underway; Book 3 is set in Iceland.
The Shady Side of Saratoga is fresh off its June 23 release. Order it on Amazon.
📸 IN PICTURES
🩰 BalletX’s stunning SPAC60 kick-off
It wasn’t quite summer yet, but the heat wave was real when SPAC kicked off its 60th classical season with an extraordinary performance by BalletX. When I wrote about it, I didn’t realize I had the stunning photos sitting in my inbox. ‘Tis the season for hanging on my a thread…
Keep reading!
A ‘hot but fabulous’ start to SPAC’s 60th (second story)
Photos by NUA Photography Co.
Carolyn Juracka, 10, (far left with Mom Diana) picked BalletX after winning SPAC tickets of her choice. “She felt so fancy sitting inside,” Diana said of her daughter. “In the summer, we sit on the lawn.” (Photos by NUA Photography Co.)
Photos by NUA Photography Co.
FUN FACT
Two of Opera Saratoga’s Festival Artists will take the SPAC stage to sing during Midsummer Night’s Dream. Listen for Maya McGuire and Kayla Sconiers.
📸 IN PICTURES
Opera Saratoga Gala celebrating 65 years, at Saratoga National
🙏 IN MEMORIAN
Saratoga Casino Hotel and the Saratoga Harness Horseperson’s Association will host a public memorial service for the 17 horses that lost their lives in the tragic barn fire.
When: Sunday, June 28, at 10:45 a.m.
Where: The harness track Winner’s Circle at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
Live harness racing will immediately follow.
The horses were laid to rest in individual plots in a private burial held at dusk on June 17, on the grounds of the hotel.
📌 ICYMI…
🙌 Support your Dispatch
The Dispatch is FREE to read — and only possible because of our paid subscribers. Don’t want to commit? Leave a tip of any dollar amount below.
Local, real, never corporate … I cannot do it without you!
— Abby