The LoftOpera has postponed its production of “Pagliacci,” which was originally primed for September 2017.
Per the company’s official website, “Hey Fam! As of now our upcoming production of Pagliacci is on hold. We haven’t found a home for this show that makes financial sense. So we are regrouping, taking a minute, and will be back with news ASAP! Much love, The LoftOpera Peeps.”
The production’s original dates were Sept. 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 26 and was to be directed by John de los Santos and conducted by Music director Samuel McCoy. There was also to be a dance party after the performance featuring DJ Svetlana Voice.
The company is coming off a season in which it performed “Così fan tutte,” “Macbeth,” “Otello,” and works by Pergolesi and Vivaldi.
Regarding the “Otello” production, OperaWire wrote, “On the evidence of this ‘Otello,’ a work rarely performed in the US, this company might just be the one the opera world needs – one that can bring back long-forgotten works back to the forefront of culture through immersive experiences.”
We used to be big fans of LoftOpera, but NO LONGER, due to their unethical handling of this cancellation. After Pagliacci was indefinitely postponed, we received a note from LoftOpera director Brianna Maury, offering us the chance to “donate” the price of the seven unusable tickets we bought for our friends, or to refund the tickets “when we are able.” We chose the refund, which never came…so we disputed the charge with Mastercard, only to have LoftOpera tell Mastercard that we have “no basis for disputing this charge,” and that we are “in possession of goods/services.” That, of course, was an outright lie. But no one at LoftOpera is responding to emails or the phone anymore, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.