In the Wings - April 2026

It's almost Spring - right? April brings a few events from Great Lakes Operetta and Chicago Fringe Opera. We're also mentioning CFO's next opera, opening on May 2nd, since it will be awfully close to next month's summary.

Gilbert & Sullivan Singalong - Patience

Great Lakes Operetta
Sunday, April 19 - 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro
3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613

Continuing our popular series of Gilbert & Sullivan Singalong Events, we are pleased to announce our Spring 2026 Singalong, Patience! This gentle gem of the canon hilariously skewers the Aesthetic Movement, ostensibly...but really pokes fun at the timeless foibles of human nature.

Editor's note: Feel free to attend and listen or sing with the ensemble. When GLO hosts these events, they generally take applications in advance to sing named roles, so keep your eyes open if you'd like to toss your hat in the ring.

Op*erratic

Chicago Fringe Opera
Wednesday, April 29 - 7:30 – 9:15 pm
Borelli's Pizzeria
2124 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Op*erratic is a fully unscripted operatic improv spectacle, where the plot, music, and mayhem are created in real time. Armed with classical voices and a flair for the absurd, our cast transforms audience suggestions into spontaneous stories full of soaring arias, tragic misunderstandings, and unexpected finales.

Editor's note: I finally had the chance to attend one of these events - it's quite the experience. If you've attended any improv shows in the city, you know the basic idea, just... well, include a pianist improvising Mozart-sounding accompaniment and everyone's singing. Definitely worth attending if you've never been.

Here Be Sirens

Chicago Fringe Opera
May 2, 3, 5, 7, 9
The Edge Off Broadway
1133 W Catalpa Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Here Be Sirens, Kate Soper’s groundbreaking opera, reimagines the myth of the Sirens to explore the archetypes society assigns to women—and how those roles are used to divide rather than empower. Told through sharp wit, virtuosic music, and mythic storytelling, and accompanied by a prepared piano which they play themselves, three Sirens search for freedom, sisterhood, and self-discovery while unraveling the patriarchal myths that keep them trapped.

Stay warm, stay safe out there, folks, and see you in May!