Just how valuable are chastity and purity?
Twenty-five English pounds in "Albert Herring," Benjamin Britten's comic chamber opera.
That's how much the Queen of the May Committee is willing to pay for a woman found to be pure and virginal.
Only there's a problem: There are no women who meet the criteria.
So instead of crowning a May Queen, the committee decides to crown a king in the form of a shy, mama's boy greengrocer by the name of Albert Herring.
In one scene, Herring, sung by tenor Dennis Tamblyn in the University of Arizona's production this weekend, sings about his virgin's ransom.
It's all very silly - the perfect antidote to Britten's much darker "The Rape of Lucretia." Britten wrote both pieces in the mid-1940s, and they premiered within a year of each other - "Rape" in July 1946 and "Albert Herring" the following June.
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"It's musically challenging and pleasantly dissonant - there are some real beautiful lyrical (passages) that are atonal," said Charles Roe, director of the UA's Opera Theater.
This is the third time in Roe's 21-year career at the UA that Roe has mounted "Albert Herring." It's a show, he says, "that grows on you."
"It's a good ensemble show," he said, noting that the main cast members for this weekend's two performances are all UA seniors. That includes conductor Jackson Warren, who is a fellow in the School of Music's James E. Rogers Institute for Orchestral and Opera Conducting.
In an e-mail, Warren said Britten's piece is "a funny, off-kilter comedy reflecting a lot of Britten's unique personality and wit."
Warren, who spent last summer as an associate conductor for Opera in the Ozarks, said the piece is driven musically and theatrically by Britten's strong characters.
"The fusion of parody and poignancy creates a memorable show," said Warren, who is in his final year with the UA fellowship.
The Opera Theater puts on two operas each year, and Roe said one of them is usually a contemporary work - something written within the past 60 years. Past performances have included Britten's "The Rape of Lucretia," Robert Ward's "The Crucible" and Dominick Argento's "Postcard From Morocco."
Roe said "Albert Herring" is a challenge for the singers because of its fast pace.
"We're very fortunate that we have the singers to do this show," he said. "Each of the parts is quite demanding in its own way."
The students have been rehearsing the piece since school reconvened in August.
If you go
Benjamin Britten's "Albert Herring"
• Presented by: University of Arizona Opera Theater and the Arizona Symphony Chamber Ensemble.
• Conducted by: Jackson Warren.
• Featuring: Stephanie Martin, Mackenzie Romriell, Asleif Wilmer, Seth Kershisnik, Lyle Brown, Kyle Connor, Dennis Tamblyn, Ana Miller, Angeline Chairez, Jovahnna Anderson, Jenny Brobeck and James Cockrell.
• When: 7:30 p.m. today, 3 p.m. Sunday.
• Where: Crowder Hall, North Park Avenue and East Speedway.
• Tickets: $15; $12 for UA employees and seniors; $10 for students, at arizona.tix.com or by calling 621-1162.
• Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes, with one intermission.
• Sung in: English with English surtitles.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.
