This weekend Loudoun Lyric Opera opened their charming production of Lee Hoiby’s The Italian Lesson and Bon Appétit!, a double-bill they named Baking with Divas. As opera on a small scale, these two one-act, one-woman operas are gems of the repertoire. “For folks who might not know opera and might be interested, this is about as low-pressure as you can get,” said Mark Irchai, the company’s general and artistic director. “All you have to do is just buy a ticket and come out and you’ll get to experience something really cool, which is two shows that are entertaining and culturally relevant,” adding that the shows are in English and that Bon Appétit! premiered at the Kennedy Center with the composer on piano. “It’s a very unintentional coincidence given everything going on in the world right now, but it’s nice to be able to have a piece that was premiered in a place meant for art, and that we can still make art around town.”
At a total runtime of only ninety minutes with intermission, these shows are entertaining even and perhaps especially for today’s world of short attention spans. But there is something even more, something sensory about these operas that make us pay attention. “I think the audience should be invested in this show because of the food, the same reason that everyone addictively watches Food Network and what-I-made-for-lunch videos on Instagram,” said Amanda Zoe Vest, who grew up watching Julia Child cooking programs and now stars as Julia in Bon Appétit! The audience on Sunday evening ate up her unique and lively turn, sporting a loud floral blouse and statement necklace. Regarding her characterization, she said, “It’s such an interesting experience to take on such an iconic person. Especially in live theatre, the aim isn’t to make a facsimile,” adding, “It’s not just my artistic vision; it’s also the director and the music director and our props team. I’m excited about the slightly more eighties color palette and eighties Julia that we’ve been unpacking.” The talented designer of these shows, Ksenya Litvak, spoke some more to those choices: “I tried to do a few things with research, like with Julia Child, how she dressed. We tried to create the feel of a show kitchen with pastel colors and used actual vintage clothes for costumes. After that, I tried to make it sort of abstract.” In addition to sets, costumes and props, including a functional electric mixer, Litvak also created beautiful hand-drawn projections for both shows that correspond to what is going on onstage.
Speaking to The Italian Lesson, Litvak said, “It’s about a very busy socialite on Fifth Avenue in the 1920s. It reminded me a little bit of The Real Housewives of Potomac, or something like that.” Indeed, anyone who has watched reality TV will recognize this character. “The beauty of these larger-than-life characters is that you somehow see yourself in them,” said Erin Ridge, the production’s stage director. “Mrs. Clancy desperately wants to appear cultured and has all these things on her schedule, but she doesn’t take the time in any of them to be fully present. That’s where we might see ourselves: life moving too fast and not taking the time to slow down.” Sally Freeland, who stars as Mrs. Clancy, added something of her own experience to her interpretation and thinking behind the central conflict in the show: “For me, I am a mom to three young kids, so this is very relatable that I have this thing that I need to accomplish, like learning The Italian Lesson, and there are so many things that get in the way. It’s true for people without kids, too, of course, because everyone has things that they have to do and things that distract them from their goals.”
A character with a lot on her mind is relatable enough in itself, and Freeland’s reactions to the invisible other characters on stage ultimately sold her performance as what could easily be a definitive interpretation. Her acting beats made me laugh even after studying and listening to this work many times. I loved her characterization and Litvak’s design, which included columns with different items of vintage clothing hanging on them as well as a rotary phone. Irchai, too, as pianist, not only played both scores well enough to make the score feel full even without a chamber ensemble, but also in The Italian Lesson the piano part acted as the characters Mrs. Clancy interacts with. “Working with Mark has helped a lot,” said Freeland, speaking to her preparation for and memorization of the role. “We both have to know our parts really well so that the call-and-response works.” And, consistently across the team, there was acknowledgement of the importance of the cohesion between stage director, music director, actors, and designer. “The best and also most challenging part of this has been the choreography that has to happen,” said Irchai. “It’s so detailed and so specific. Hoiby writes recitative in a way where he’s very clear about ‘I want this statement to mean this thing, because if it were said in a different way, it would mean a different thing.’ He’s also trying to follow pretty carefully the speech patterns of Ruth Draper and Julia Child. It’s been awesome to see the choreography of it all come together, but it’s also really challenging.”
Challenging, and yet all three performers involved with this show made it look easy, which is the best possible experience one could have at the opera. Vest’s performance as Julia in particular was memorable because it involved whipping egg whites by hand and assembling a cake onstage in perfect time with music, feats not only impressive but also downright mesmerizing, to the point that her colleague Freeland gave her as one of the reasons to attend the show: “Come to see Amanda Vest. She’s a wonderful singer-actress. I don’t think anyone will be disappointed. We’re even partnering with a local gluten-free bakery for this, because she makes the gluten-free cake,” said Freeland. “It’s going to be fun. I feel like everyone could use a laugh right now. I know I’m seeking that out on a daily basis, and here’s a good chance for that.”
True to what Freeland said, on Sunday I was not disappointed with what I saw. This is an excellent double-bill featuring two excellent singing actresses who showed themselves to be the best kind of divas, staying to chat with the audience long after the performance had finished. On top of that, in general a welcoming feeling pervaded the atmosphere so that one couldn’t help but smile and enjoy, and that all starts with the artistic director. “I’m very excited about these shows,” said Irchai. “If you like what you see, I would love for you to get involved!”
Maggie Ramsey
Loudoun Lyric Opera: Baking with Divas – The Italian Lesson and Bon Appétit!
Composed by Lee Hoiby
Texts by Ruth Draper and Julia Child
Bon Appétit libretto adapted by Mark Shulgasser
Cast and Production Staff:
Mrs. Clancy – Sally Freeland; Julia Child – Amanda Zoe Vest
Artistic/General/Music Director – Mark Irchai; Stage Director – Erin Ridge; Production Manager – Jordyn Fields; Stage Manager – Deacon Withers; Set, Prop, and Costume Designer – Ksenya Litvak; Wig & Makeup Designer – Karman Boisset; Lighting Designer – Andrew Harasty; Piano Technician – Andrew Deogracias
Dreamscapes Performing Arts Center, Sterling, VA, February 17, 2026
Top image: Amanda Zoe Vest as Julia Child
All photos by Crystal Corona Photography.