Century-old ‘Hobson’s Choice’ to make its operatic debut in Houston

It’s a tale as old as time. Woman finds a life interest. Woman gets questioned by her father. Woman conquers all, overcoming gender stereotypes, hierarchy and class warfare to prove that anything is achievable when an ingenious brain is tested against societal limits.

That’s the essential plot line of the comic “Hobson’s Choice,” an opera based on the 1915 play that was given updates by composer Tom Cipullo and now will have its world premiere Oct. 23 at the University of Houston’s Moore Opera House. 

This is the first comedy from the composer and almost sprang out of surprise.

“It came to be because my friend, the wonderful mezzo soprano Stephanie Blythe loved the story and suggested it to me,” Cipullo said. “I read the play, which is over 100 years old, and I could see dramatic possibilities in the play. I wanted to do it because in opera, we have this rich tradition of comedies from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and ‘The Barber of Seville,’ all these wonderful pieces that are a basic part of the repertoire, but we don’t have really 21st century comedies that have entered the repertoire.”

The opera is double-cast with Giselle Bautista and Chelsea DeLorenz as Maggie, John Allen Nelson and Micah Zimmerman as her father Hobson, and Gabriel Chona Rueda and Grant Peck as her love interest Will. Performances will be conducted by Moores Opera Center music director Jorge Parodi, and the production is by Jefferson Ridenaur for sets, Mary Webber and Shaun Heath for costumes, and Christina Gianelli for lighting.

Cipullo says writing a comedy is more challenging than originally thought, but it is one that he feels will pay off in the end.

“Comedy is such a risky business,” he said. “It’s a little terrifying. The riskiest genre of all is comedy, because if it were a horror, you’re guaranteed to get a scream from somebody, but with a comedy, if nobody laughs, you’re dead. I am relishing the challenge, and I’m cautiously optimistic.”

This risk is something he is familiar with. Cipullo has workshopped this production several times before its world premiere. He first introduced it at the University of Colorado Boulder’s CU-NOW program, which lead to a complete rewrite of the first act. A second workshop of the first two acts took place at the University of Michigan, followed by a third workshop of the complete score at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music.

“Workshops are absolutely terrifying,” he said. “It’s not a process I relish, but it’s necessary, and you have to be able to filter out the comments. Some comments are great and make me think about pieces in a whole new way, and then some comments are just a result of someone hearing a piece for the first time. You have to know a piece that’s not finished and maybe under rehearsed. You have to know which comments to listen to, but it’s all fun. Composing should be fun.”

Now, five years after Cipullo began his work, the production is ready for its debut, and he’s ready to introduce the fun to Houston.

The story, as fun as it may be, contains deeper undertones that — from even 100 years ago — resonate today. The plot is based on a woman taking agency over her own life and defying expectation and tradition.

“I might even say, more broadly, the story is about someone who is underestimated, someone who is viewed as powerless and is responding to a bully,” he said. “In this case, the bully happens to be her own father, but that, unfortunately, is a topic that is timeless. And of course, satire and comedy have always been the great vehicle to fight bullies.”

In the realm of music and theater, it’s always a bonus for performers to get to know the person who created the music. In this case, the UH performers have that exact opportunity.

“I’m a living composer, and I intend to stay that way,” he said. “I don’t know if the basic rewards have changed at all in a couple 100 years, but you’re still always struggling to write your music, and you still have the same pride in it when it goes well.”

The inspiration, while majestic, can also come with its vulnerabilities.

“It’s a funny thing, composing,” he said. “When I’m asked, I always have the same response. I have no idea how it’s done. I sit at a piano and I try noodling around for a while, but it’s like reinventing the wheel. I can’t remember how it’s done, and then somehow something takes over. That’s the definition of inspiration. Something breathes through you, and hopefully, if I can get myself out of the way, that thing will breathe through me and leave in its wake something fun or beautiful or touching.”

Ultimately, Cipullo hopes the audience will find a deeper meaning to the comedy.

“This is a comedy, but I always believe that even a comedy should have a moment that brings a tear to your eye, and a tragedy should have a moment of laughter in it. Otherwise, it doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel like a real presence.”