One of the country’s oldest opera companies is bringing a rags-to-riches-to-rags story to Cheyenne on Thursday evening. The Ballad of Baby Doe tells the scandalous true story of Horace Tabor, who strikes it rich prospecting for silver and leaves his wife Augusta for a woman named Baby Doe. But when silver goes bust, the pair ends up penniless and alone.
The opera—sung in English—was commissioned and debuted by Colorado’s Central City Opera in 1956. Since then, The Ballad of Baby Doe has become the company’s signature work. “This particular story was universal enough that it could be a story told outside the state of Colorado. And it has turned out to be so: it’s become one of the most popular operas from that time period,” said Director of Education and Community Engagement Deborah Morrow.
Central City Opera’s tour of The Ballad of Baby Doe is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to celebrate the work’s 60th anniversary. The traveling show is a condensed production with four principal singers, piano accompaniment, and a portable set, along with the Cheyenne South High School Concert Choir, which plays the chorus and some small roles. The free performance is Thursday evening at 7:30 at South High School in Cheyenne.