Orphée et Eurydice

June 17-25, $40-$130, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1018, operaphila.org.

by Peter Burwasser

opera

The Opera Company of Philadelphia closes its season with a production seemingly designed to smash the notion of opera as a bunch of fat old people standing around singing on a stage so far away that you need binoculars to see them. OCP will stage a new production of Gluck's dreamy masterpiece Orphée et Eurydice in the Kimmel's intimate Perelman Theater. Orphée is a pants role — that is, a male character sung by a female singer (in this case, Ruxandra Donose) — and her lover will be sung by soprano Maureen McKay. This fetching pair definitely defies the stereotypical image of opera singers. The production also features a sleek, bold design courtesy Mexican artist Philippe Amand. Never been to an opera before? This would be a good one to try. Oh, and it's only an hour and a half long. If you like it, try tackling the three-hour-long Verdi that OCP has on tap for the fall.