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

Painting by Amy Severson @ 2019

Painting by Amy Severson @ 2019

Mancos, CO served as the perfect backdrop for Opera Lafayette’s adaptation of Philidor’s The Blacksmith this October. Presented in partnership with Mancos Creative District in front of a live audience, this modern premiere adapted and translated from an 18th-century French opéra comique composed by François-André Danican Philidor in 1761 to the late 19th-century American West, met standing ovations and rave reviews.

Staged outside on Opera Lafayette’s Artistic Director, Ryan Brown’s family ranch, The Blacksmith is set in front of an historic Blacksmith Shop and Barn.

Recapturing the humor and immediacy of the original, Nick Olcott and Ryan Brown adapted the French libretto by François-Antoine Quétant. Opéra comique originally integrated French vaudeville songs, allowing for audience sing-alongs. Honoring this, 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.”

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 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 is like “…nothing you have ever seen from Opera Lafayette, or anyone else for that matter,” writes Mike Rogers of Opera Gene.

Audiences can watch the professional filmed and recorded performance on demand now through November 29, 2020. Live performances in New York City and Washington, DC will be presented as the state of the world allows.

““You have never seen anything quite like this from Opera Lafayette, or from anyone really.””
— Mike Rogers, Opera Gene

Watch On Demand

Available Now!

View the performance on your own time, on demand.
$20 + admin fees/device
Available for 24 hours from purchase

To Watch: Click on the button labeled “Rent $23” in the upper right hand corner of the box below. A new window will pop up for you to sign up for a Vimeo account or sign in if you already have one. Follow the prompts. Once you purchase access, you will have 24 consecutive hours to watch the performance. Having trouble? Try this link. Still having issues? Please contact us. We hope you enjoy!

After the show, be sure to take our post-show survey so you can share your thoughts! And, below be sure to click on the buttons for the Program Book and Cast Info to learn more about the production.

““The Blacksmith demonstrates opera’s power to bind and heal.”
”
— Whitney Fishburn, DC Metro Theatre Arts
 

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.