The Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach July 22, 2012

Like the many others who were unable to get last minute tickets for either love or money, we seem to be relegated to the bar next door, Luther's tavern, located with convenient access to the backstage dressing rooms. In fact, from an inner door, standing on tip-toe, you can even get a tantalizing glimpse of what's happening on stage. A favorite hangout for Hoffmann, a promising young poet, and undeniably a first rate story teller with a vivid imagination, though something of a lush. Would you believe it? He is in love again. And with the prima donna, no less -- the dazzling, the one and only Stella. Already their brief romance has apparently ended with a quarrel. Alas, this will not be the first time that his love life has gone off the rails. Is the rift beyond repair? Will she deign to see him after the performance? To cap it off, he and the Muse are barely on speaking terms, metaphorically, that is. Though disgruntled by his neglect, she is determined to win him back. But for the moment she is the furthest thing from his mind. Stella is all that matters. As his friends gather round, and with a couple of agonizing hours still to go before Stella's final curtain call, he just might be persuaded to tell again his fantastical tales of three lost loves. What better way to pass the time? It just might be even more enthralling than the show going on next door.