TAKE FIVE: UNLV OPERA THEATRE

Monday, Nov. 20, 2006 | 7:34 a.m.

What: UNLV Opera Theatre's "Albert Herring"

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday

Where: UNLV's Black Box Theatre, Ham Fine Arts Building, UNLV

Tickets: $15; $8 for seniors and military; and $5 for students; 895-2787 or www.unlv.edu.

UNLV Opera Theatre brings "Albert Herring" to the Black Box Theatre this week for an intimate performance of the three-act chamber opera.

The performances signal a new trend for the university company: rather than one major opera each year, they're offering two. The fall production will be a smaller, lighthearted effort. Spring productions will continue to be more weighty and have elaborate sets: "La Boheme" is scheduled for March. Recent productions have included Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and "Don Giovanni."

Here are five things you should know about "Albert Herring":

The story

The comic romp takes place in the town of Loxford in East Suffolk, England, where plans to find a virtuous May Queen for the May Day festival are dampened by the lack of chaste women.

To remedy the problem, the unfortunate honor is bestowed upon the shy Albert Herring, who takes a lot of ribbing from his peers for his inexperience.

So what happens when he gets the prize money? Albert breaks out, dabbles in worldly pleasures and turns the town upside down.

"It's a wonderfully totally British story and a fun opera, set in early 20th century Great Britain where a small town tries to legislate morality, says Christine Seitz, director of UNLV Opera Theatre. "It's a little bit like seeing a 'Masterpiece Theater' set to opera."

The composer

Benjamin Britten is considered one of England's greatest opera composers. Britten, who was born on Nov. 22, 1913, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, wrote several operas, including "Peter Grimes," "Billy Budd" and "The Rape of Lucretia." The town of Loxford is, Seitz says, thought to be a fictionalized version of Britten's hometown.

Musically

Wes Kenney, music director and conductor of the Fort Collins Symphony in Fort Collins, Colo., will be guest conductor. The Colorado State University associate professor also conducted CSU's production of "Albert Herring." Like the very stylized and minimal set, the orchestra is also small: a piano and two percussionists. The lyrics are in English.

Vocally

"Albert Herring" is written for the range of young voices. "They're singing these incredible pieces," Seitz says. "There are three or four magical moments. Herring's soliloquies, they're quite beautifully written. Lady Billows has three arias where she rants and raves at people."

Cast

The cast of 13 characters all have significant roles. Five of the cast members had principal roles in last year's impressive performance of "The Magic Flute." Bryce Myerhoff plays the role of Herring.