Independent Opera Company Stages Menotti's 'The Medium' in LA

Independent Opera Company will stage Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Medium" on Nov. 6 and 7 at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall in Los Angeles, with both performances beginning at 8 p.m. local time.

Nandani Sinha sings Madame Flora, the fraudulent séance conductor at the center of Menotti's 1946 thriller. Kristin McGinnis covers the role. Samantha Rosenberg sings Monica, Madame Flora's daughter, with Laura Barrows covering. Sonny Lira performs Toby, the mute boy whose silence drives the opera's darkest turn.

The supporting cast draws on the company's own roster. Laura Barrows doubles, singing Mrs. Gobineau in addition to covering Monica. Mark Thurner sings Mr. Gobineau. Amanda Merritt sings Mrs. Nolan, one of the séance's regular sitters.

Who leads the production?

Galina Barskaya serves as music and artistic director. Liza Barskaya stages the production. Salette Corpuz designs the costumes.

What does this change for Los Angeles audiences?

It gives them two chances to see a chamber opera that major houses program only rarely, in a venue sized to the work itself. Menotti wrote "The Medium" for small forces and a tight dramatic arc. A church fellowship hall, rather than a cavernous opera house, matches the piece's scale.

The double-casting of the two female leads also signals depth. If Sinha or Rosenberg cannot perform, McGinnis and Barrows step in. Barrows in particular carries a double assignment, appearing as Mrs. Gobineau while holding the Monica cover.

The Independent Opera Company has built its recent seasons on comparable repertoire. Its past productions include Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore" and Orff's "Die Kluge," according to OperaWire. The Menotti continues that pattern of accessible twentieth-century and bel canto works mounted in intimate Los Angeles spaces.

Both performances start at 8 p.m. at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall on Nov. 6 and 7.