Nine opera singers and a 26-piece orchestra will swap out the dialogue of a 65-year-old Italian cult film for live, sung English, as LA Opera stages two Halloween weekend performances of Hercules vs Vampires at the historic United Theater on Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. The shows are set for 8 p.m. on October 30 and October 31, with the Halloween-night performance capped off by an afterparty and costume contest offering a $10,000 grand prize.
The production pairs a full live operatic score with a screening of the 1961 cult fantasy film Hercules in the Haunted World, according to MyNewsLA.com. Composer Patrick Morganelli wrote the operatic score and adapted the film's original dialogue for live singers, who perform in sync with the actors' lip movements on screen rather than simply narrating over the footage, according to Patrick Morganelli's official website. The full presentation runs approximately 75 minutes with no intermission, per the same account.
LA Opera staged this same expanded version of Hercules vs Vampires in April 2015, when it premiered across four nearly sold-out performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with a 26-piece orchestra. The work itself dates back further than that: it was originally commissioned in 2009 by Opera Theater Oregon and premiered in 2010, before Morganelli revised and reorchestrated it for nine singers and the larger orchestra ahead of its 2015 LA debut.
A Cult Classic Gets the Live-Opera Treatment
The source film, Hercules in the Haunted World, was directed by Mario Bava and stars Reg Park as Hercules and Christopher Lee as Lycos, a ruler seeking immortality. The story follows Hercules as he journeys to the underworld while attempting to rescue the woman he loves. Bava used four decorative columns, a single wall with a door, models, optical effects and in-camera forced perspective to conjure his vision of Hades, as Mana Pop has detailed.
Park, who played Hercules, was a three-time Mr. Universe bodybuilder who went on to serve as an early mentor and primary inspiration to Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to MoMA. The film was one of several Italian peplum pictures Park starred in during the early 1960s.
Since its 2015 LA Opera premiere, the production has traveled well beyond Los Angeles. North Carolina Opera staged it in 2016, Arizona Opera followed in 2017, and Nashville Opera presented it in January 2018, reflecting the work's broad regional appeal as an alternative entry point into the art form.
Who's Singing, and Who's Conducting
Joel Balzun will perform the role of Hercules, with Alexis Seminario as Dianara, Gabriel Manro as Lycos, and Roy Hage as Theseus. Gabrielle Turgeon takes on Medea and other roles, Gretchen Krupp sings Persephone, James Hayden performs the dual roles of the God of Evil and Procrustes, Orson Van Gay II plays Kyros, and Robert Norman performs Telemachus.
Conductor Blair Salter, who serves as LA Opera's Head of Music, will make her LA Opera conducting debut with the company, leading members of the LA Opera orchestra in this production. Salter previously worked as Head Coach for the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program and has held music staff positions at major companies including San Francisco Opera and Santa Fe Opera, according to information from LA Opera.
Inside Downtown LA's Spanish Gothic Showcase
The performances take place at the United Theater on Broadway, located at 929 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. The venue was built in 1927. The 1,647-capacity theater features a Spanish Gothic ceiling, according to Discover Los Angeles.
This staging falls under LA Opera's Off Grand initiative, which presents works at venues outside the company's traditional home at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Costume Contest and Ticket Details
The Halloween-night performance includes an afterparty and costume contest at no additional cost beyond admission. The grand-prize costume winner receives $10,000, two VIP tickets to an LA Opera performance, and a private tour for two of the LA Opera costume shop. Second place earns $2,500 and two VIP tickets, while third place takes home $500 and two VIP tickets.
Following its two-night Downtown LA run, LA Opera will bring Hercules vs Vampires to the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert on November 6, extending the Halloween-themed tour further into Southern California. More information and tickets for the Los Angeles performances are available at laopera.org/hercules.
