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An addicting opera: 'Down on the Pharma' puts a comedic spin on the dark world of pharmaceuticals
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If you found the cure to all the world’s ailments, would you make a choice for the greater good, or would you hold out in hopes of gaining riches?
“Down on the Pharma,” explores that question while unraveling the dark world of pharmaceuticals. The Gonzo Opera show is coming to the Cell Theater at Fusion on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10.
After salesman Doc Charletayne finds an old-fashioned snake oil, he believes he has struck gold, finding a cure to many of the pains and strifes the world struggles with. But after Charletayne pitches the “Egyptian Elixir” to pharmaceutical representatives who tell the doctor that he can gain riches beyond his wildest belief, Charletayne embarks on an adventure that helps him to decide between riches and success or pure kindness.
“It’s a very funny show and even though it’s a very serious subject, we make a lot of serious points,” said Daniel Steven Crafts, musical composer of the show.
“Comedy is one of the best vehicles that you have to persuade people. If you can make people laugh at the absurdity of something, you’re halfway there to convincing them.”
The show was performed by Gonzo Opera in the fall of 2019, but Steven Crafts felt the show was more relevant after COVID-19 that changed people’s opinions on medicine as a whole.
“It turned out to be even more prescient as we did this one time before in 2019, just before the pandemic hit,” Steven Crafts said. “It was intentional to do this in a time when a lot of people are talking about Big Pharma.”
The show comprises of four singers, a flute and piccolo performer, one clarinet and piano player, and Steven Crafts said part of the reason Gonzo Opera decided to bring the show back was to hear baritone singer Thomas Munro’s adaptation of the character Doc Charletayne.
As composer, Steven Crafts wanted to focus on the strengths of all his performers, and wrote specialized sections of the show for each performer, including an encore vocalise (song without words) for soprano Hannah Stephens and a written piccolo section.
While the show is an opera, Steven Crafts said it’s more of a play within an opera, and he hopes to reach a younger audience with the show’s comedic angles and modern approach to opera.
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“Everything is sung, but these people are putting on a play,” he said. “Even if you don’t like traditional opera, the comedy is what carries it along, and that’s what people like. We certainly want the traditional opera audience to come and enjoy it, but we’re really trying to cultivate a younger audience.”
