Hopera Unleashed

It was a Saturday evening on February 11, and my roommates and I needed something to do in the evening.  I had remembered seeing a flyer about a Hip Hop Opera being shown at Braden Auditorium earlier in the week.  I thought it was such a cool concept to blend two very different genres into one.  I was right, as we had a very 'Hip-Hoppin' evening.

The event was called "Adrian Dunn Presents: Hopera Unleashed, A Hip Hop Opera."  It was a free event to the public, and I'd say a fair amount of people showed up for it.  We picked our seats and jammed to some current music as we waited for the show to start.  The show opened with a very high energy and exciting number called "Madness."  So much was going on as the five cast members were all singing at once, creating a controlled chaos of music.  Our attention was immediately focused on the stage.  Their operatic tones were amazing, and throughout the show the blend of rap and opera singing meshed together in perfect harmony.

The story was about a high school senior, Obadiah, who was attempting to find himself in the world and be the first of his family to attend college.  He faced may problems along the way including his mother who had developed a drinking habit, his overbearing teacher, and losing a close friend who was shot.

Adrian Dunn was a very esteemed person.  He recently returned from singing an opera festival in Spoleto, Italy and had been nominated for the "Best Music Director for his work on HOPERA.  He's a very up and coming artist and composer and it was great to see his work.

The best thing about the performance was watching the reaction of the audience members.  There was young and old people of different backgrounds spread throughout the auditorium, and I felt like everyone could relate to something in the show.  I loved the energy that the entire cast had throughout the production.  One of the coolest parts of the production was the fact that the conductor also played a crucial part of the story and was just as active as the cast as he sung and danced around while conducting the musicians.

We all had a great time, especially keeping in mind that this was a free show that we were attending.  I hope they come back next year to ISU, because I'm excited to see what exciting blend of music they'll bring next time!