The Face on the Barroom Floor

July 29, 31 at 1:15 p.m.
(Note the ticketing page lists these as some of the Short Works offerings)

Celebrate the spirit of the Old West with the return of our popular 30-minute opera! Visit the historic Face Bar in the Teller House and see the legendary painting of the beautiful Madeline on the barroom floor. Then cross the street to Williams Stables and step back in time for a passionate, tragic love triangle based on the poetic legend surrounding the painting.

Our talented Apprentice Artists from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program bring to life this timeless tale of jealousy. Composed by Henry Mollicone in 1978 for Central City Opera, The Face on the Barroom Floor is now one of America’s most popular cabaret operas.

Tickets: $12 per person/$8 for subscribers. If you have not reserved a seat in advance (highly recommended), check with the box office in the Teller House for possible same-day tickets.

Composed in 1978
Commissioned by the Central City Opera House Association
Music by Henry Mollicone
Libretto by John S. Bowman

Stage Director - Marc Astafan
Music Director/Pianist - Thomas Getty
Lighting Designer - Paige G. Stanley
Stage Manager - TBD
Properties Master – Victoria K. Schilling
Assistant Properties Masters – Lindsey Sample and Kenna Howat
Fight Choreographer – Andrew Kenneth Moss

Cast

Isabelle/Madeline – Catherine O’Rourke
Larry/Matt – Patrick O’Halloran
Tom/John – Nathan Milholin

Flute and Piccolo – Jessica Warren
Cello – Cedra Kuehn

Synopsis

The opera tells two tales, separated in time but parallel in characters and theme. In present day Central City, Isabelle, a member of the opera chorus, and her boyfriend Larry visit a local bar. Larry orders champagne and asks about the face painted on the barroom floor. Tom, the bartender, responds by becoming a 19th-century frontier bartender, John, who welcomes the bargirl Madeline as they toast the future of the "Golden West." A disheveled traveler, Matt, enters and orders drinks all around while John tells Madeline to sing. Unable to pay for his whiskey, Matt offers instead to paint a portrait on the floor of the bar of the only woman he ever loved. John discovers the portrait is of Madeline. The two men fight until Madeline throws herself between them, with tragic consequences. Larry, now back in the 20th century, laughs drunkenly at the old legend and forces Isabelle, to dance with him. Tom reveals his past love affair with Isabelle. Declaring that he still loves Isabelle, Tom challenges Larry. Events of the past repeat themselves in the present, continuing the legend of the face on the barroom floor.