A Kansas native is among the starry cast of the 100th anniversary production of Charpentier's "Louise" by the San Francisco Opera.
Samuel Ramey, a bass-baritone who grew up in Colby and last performed in Lawrence in January 1998 at the Lied Center, stars with Renee Fleming and Jerry Hadley in the French opera.
The opera tells about the relationship between the title character and her parents. The father (Ramey) refuses to allow Louise (Fleming) to marry her boyfriend, Julien (Hadley), so she runs off with the boyfriend. Later, the father becomes ill and Louise returns to the family home, only to have her mother and father refuse to let her leave. The father becomes so enraged with Louise and what he terms her ideas of "free love" without marriage, he chases her from the house, then screams in despair after she flees.
According to Ronald Blum, an Associated Press writer, Ramey "was outstanding, gripping during his fourth-act confrontation with Louise" during Sunday night's performance.
Ramey has more than 80 recordings to his credit and has performed throughout the world. His last performance in Lawrence was titled "A Date with the Devil" and featured songs sung by operatic villains.
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