Although she has a wide range of experience in opera and musical theater, Kelly Glyptis has had to learn a new set of physical and linguistic moves for her role in the IU Opera Theater's production of Die Fledermaus.
A quick look at this IU senior's resume shows that she's appeared in quite a range of operas and musical theater pieces. Selections from the list include: Die Zauberflöte, La Rondine, The Light in the Piazza, The Most Happy Fella and A Little Night Music.
The Body
"Variety, yes," she says, "but at least I was always singing a female part." In Die Fledermaus, Glyptis sings the decidedly masculine role of Prince Orlovsky. "I did once do a scene from The Marriage of Figaro as Cherubino, but he's kind of boyish. This is different. Actually it's been kind of fun learning a bit about how to be a guy, how to move and how to hold myself."
The Voice
In addition to the change in gender, Glyptis has to contend with some serious linguistic demands. "In Die Fledermaus most of the singing is in German, while the comedy is in English with a bit of French. Now, I've sung in all three languages, but Prince Orlovsky is supposed to be a Russian. So we've been asked to come up with a Russian accent on top of all three of the languages. Thank goodness for my courses and some wonderful coaching help."