Ravinia 2023 Issue 4

BY DONALD LIEBENSON WELCOME to My Shop Opera for the Young opens a world of music theater AT ONE POINT in A Night at the Opera , Otis B. Dri wood, the slippery business manager por- trayed by Groucho Marx, arrives at an opera house. “Is the opera over yet?” he asks a door at- tendant. When informed a few minutes remain in the opera, he becomes indignant. “Hey, you,” he chastises the hansom cab driver, “I told you to slow that nag down. On account of you, I nearly heard the opera. Now, once around the park and drive slow- ly.” ¶ Many children (and some adults, for that matter) have this same dismis- sive attitude toward opera. Opera for the Young (OFTY) is dedicated to changing that, and they’re not kidding around. ¶ For just over years, the Madison, WI–based non- pro t has taken their act on the road to schools— upwards of “in a good year,” says managing di- rector Saira Frank—to change hearts, minds, and ears. On August , they are returning to Ravinia’s Martin eatre for the rst time in three years. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 31 – AUGUST 14, 2023