Opera and food: BON APPÉTIT! immersive evening of opera and fine dining with Cape Town Opera and The Vineyard Hotel

Opera and food: BON APPÉTIT! immersive evening of opera and fine dining with Cape Town Opera and The Vineyard Hotel- March 31 to April 3

CAPE TOWN OPERA PRESENTS BON APPÉTIT AT THE VINEYARD HOTEL What: Iconic opera songs paired with a five-course dinner When: March 31 to April 3 at 7pm Where: Vineyard Hotel, Newlands, Cape Town Tickets: R950 via Quicket Direct booking link: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/168938-bon-apptit#/ Stay over and take advantage of The Vineyard’s accommodation offer of 10% off the room rate when booking directly and using the promo code “Direct” Featured singers: Janelle Visagie (this soprano is a double Fleur du Cap Theatre Award winner), Ané Pretorius (soprano), Jodie Khan (soprano), Siphesihle Mdena (tenor), Van Wyk Venter (baritone) and Garth Delport (bass)

Ooolala – opera and fine dining – will be on offer as an immersive opera and food theatre experience -at the Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, Cape Town. BON APPÉTIT! is a collaboration between Cape Town Opera and The Vineyard Hotel. Award-winning chefs Mike Bassett and Evan Coosner, working with Cape Town Opera’s artistic director Magdalene Minnaar, have created an inspired five-course dinner which reflects and compliments delicious food themed opera pieces, such as Bach’s Coffee Cantata, Bizet’s Omelette Quartet, Weill’s Ice Cream Sextet and Hoiby’s Bon Appétit! This is immersive theatre of opera and fine food. The Vineyard Hotel is offering a 10% off the room rate when booking for one of the evenings, so use the promo code and stay over. Info as supplied:

CAPE TOWN OPERA PRESENTS BON APPÉTIT AT THE VINEYARD HOTEL FROM MARCH 31 to April 3, 2022

From March 31 to April 3 2022, Cape Town Opera, in collaboration with The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, will host four unique performances entitled BON APPÉTIT! The stunning music and cuisine event will take place at The Restaurant and will delight gourmands and opera lovers alike.

Opera songs with a food focus

Award-winning chefs Mike Bassett and Evan Coosner have curated a sumptuous five-course dinner where dishes will pair with iconic opera songs with a food focus. Think Bernstein’s Four Recipes for Voice and Piano, Bach’s unique secular Coffee Cantata and a musical monologue by American composer Lee Hoiby. BON APPÉTIT! will be under the musical direction of José Dias.

“When we decided to present a selection of food-themed operatic works,” said Chef Mike, “I looked to the chosen pieces for menu inspiration. In Bernstein’s La Bonne Cuisine, you have recipes for Plum Pudding, Oxtail and a fast-cooked rabbit stew, among others. Then you’ve got Bach’s Coffee Cantata, Bizet’s Omelette Quartet, Weill’s Ice Cream Sextet and Hoiby’s Bon Appétit!” Astute followers of the libretto will see themes from each piece threading through the menu courses: oxtail croquettes with a plum puree, a coffee martini, rabbit roulade served with omelette rolls, pistachio ice cream with a milk pudding and finally, a chocolate cake pop. “It’s an evening for adventurous diners who love opera and we are so looking forward to it!” he concluded.

A message from Cape Town Opera’s artistic director Magdalene Minnaar

Together with her team, Cape Town Opera’s artistic director Magdalene Minnaar, who started her tenure with the company at the beginning of this year [2022], has devised several unique event offerings this year that are bound to captivate both seasoned opera-goers and new audiences of all ages. Her fresh approach follows the company’s 2022 theme of diversity, sustainability and creativity. “In the post- Covid climate, we have to attend to the entire ecology of opera, and we’re continuously exploring creative ways to serve audiences and expand our reach,” she said. “The one gift that Covid gave us was the opportunity to think out the box. We are wanting to also present opera outside of the theatre space at interesting locations and site specific venues, and the Vineyard Hotel is a marvellous fit.”

Cast of six

The cast of six, performing right in front of the ‘show kitchen’ that will be used as the stage area, includes soprano Janelle Visagie, who was awarded a prestigious Fleur du Cap Theatre Award in 2015 for her role as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music at Artscape and a Fleur du Cap as Elle in La Voix Humaine in 2019. She joins Ané Pretorius (soprano), Jodie Khan (soprano), Siphesihle Mdena (tenor), Van Wyk Venter (Baritone) and Garth Delport (bass). Janelle will perform Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit!

Tables will face performance area

All tables will face the performance area. Seating is limited due to Covid restrictions. Advance booking is advised especially since all Vineyard Hotel dinner – theatre events are highly sought after. BON APPÉTIT! runs from Thursday March 31 to Sunday April 3.  2022 at 7pm. Tickets cost R950 per person through Quicket:  https://www.quicket.co.za/events/168938-bon-apptit#/.  Guests wishing to stay over can take advantage of The Vineyard’s accommodation offer of 10% off the room rate when booking directly and using the promo code “Direct”. 

THE BON APPÉTIT! MENU AND REPERTOIRE MARCH 31 TO APRIL 3, 2022 MENU Starter: Breaded oxtail croquettes with plum pudding, red wine jus and mustard pomme purée In between: Coffee Martini Main: Rabbit roulade with baby onions, apple and carrot miso with bacon, creamed parsley and rolled omelette Dessert: Caramel Turkish milk pudding with chicken, rose ice cream with toasted almond powder (Mike says the milk pudding is like a dense, custard pudding or crustless milk tart, with the chicken breast giving it an intriguing silkiness.) To enjoy with coffee: Chocolate cake pop and coffee VEGETARIAN OPTION Starter: Breaded shiitake mushroom with plum pudding, red wine jus and mustard pomme puree In Between: Coffee martini Main: Seitan roulade with baby onions, apple and carrot miso with vegan bacon, creamed parsley and a rolled omelette Dessert: Caramel Turkish milk pudding and rose ice cream with toasted almond powder To enjoy with coffee: Chocolate cake pop stick Bon Appétit served as a take away or with coffee THE BON APPÉTIT REPERTOIRE  COFFEE CANTATA, Schweigt Still, Plaudert Nicht BWV 211, J.S. Bach LA BONNE CUISINE, Four Recipes for Voice and Piano, L. Bernstein THE OMELETTE QUARTET from Le Docteur Miracle, “Voici l’omelette”, G. Bizet BON APPÉTIT! a musical monologue based on Julia Child’s chocolate cake recipe by Lee Hoiby THE ICE CREAM SEXTET, from Street Scene, “First Time I come to da America” K.Weill

✳ Images by Annène van Eeden. Supplied. Featured image -Cape Town Opera’s artistic director, Magdalene Minnaar with chef Mike Bassett at The Restaurant at The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands. Related coverage on TheCapeRobyn:https://thecaperobyn.co.za/opera-thrilling-launch-of-cape-town-opera-season-2022/