The Show Must Go On: Opera Singer Saves the Day by Pulling Double Duty

By Kaleena Rivera | Miscellaneous | February 9, 2023 |

By Kaleena Rivera | Miscellaneous | February 9, 2023 |

We here at Pajiba don’t labor under any delusions of high-mindedness, typically filling our days with heated food debates and pop culture bric-a-brac in between tv and film reviews. But this recent story that happened in the world of opera, a passing interest of mine, is too good not to share. Early last week, a production of Orpheus in the Underworld, a 19th century comic opera by Jacques Offenbach, was in jeopardy when the titular tenor suddenly fell ill. Obviously this left the production scrambling for someone to possibly fill in, but with only twenty-four hours notice, no one was willing to take on the mammoth undertaking (understandably so). In an incredible twist worthy of its own musical adaptation, mezzo-soprano Katia Ledoux, cast in the role of Venus, swooped in to save the day in what might be one of the most gutsy Hail Mary passes I’ve heard of either in or outside of the theatre.

Opera singer and advocate for African/African American performing arts Babatunde Akinboboye gave a delightful summary of how Ledoux swept in to save the day (and made history!):

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A post shared by Tunde | Opera Singer (@babatunde_hiphopera)

On her own Instagram, Ledoux has been gracious enough to share her experience of that whirlwind performance:

Tuesday 19:40. Another phone call. Another tenor can’t jump in tomorrow. The options are dwindling. I mention half-jokingly to the Stage-Manager if technically he thinks I could do it? Venus and Orpheus don’t share much stage time and when they are both on stage together they sing very similar lines in big ensemble, shouldn’t it be possible that one person does both? He starts to seriously think about it and says it depends how fast I am with learning all the text, but with 3 hours of staging rehearsal before the show he thinks it could be doable… I have another look into the score. It really doesn’t look that difficult… sure I’d have to jump between singing some things an octave lower to sound like a tenor and sing some things in my octave to be able to be heard… but… I think… I could actually do it…

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A post shared by Katia Ledoux (she/her) (@ladoucelette)

She goes on to describe what sounds like a thrilling, if utterly harrowing, ordeal. At one point she recalls thinking to herself, “I am absolutely batsh*t crazy for doing this.” Even if I wasn’t blown away by her ability to play two roles on the fly (which I very much am), Ledoux tells the tale with so much charm and humility that I couldn’t help but become an instant fan.

If you happen to be in Vienna in the next few weeks, you can still catch a performance of Orpheus in the Underworld, but expect Ledoux to stick to just one role, which is more than enough work on its own.

Kaleena Rivera is the TV Editor for Pajiba. When she isn’t enjoying the more comedic elements of classical arts (no really, I need you to see the trailer for the aforementioned production to see how deeply unserious opera can be), she can be found on Twitter here.