Space Opera, written in 1998 by Cambridge Massachusetts composer David Bass,
is based on a familiar science fiction tale of heroes and villains, robots and aliens, unlikely adventures and supernatural nonsense.
Space Opera is non-stop singing and non-stop action in two acts and features lyrical music in a variety of popular and classical styles
that appeals to audiences of all ages.  [SYNOPSIS with demo MP3s]

All performances were at:
The Peabody School (Directions, map, parking)
70 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140

Saturday, March 30 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, March 31 at 1:00pm and 5:30pm
Saturday, April 6 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, April 7 at 1:00pm and 5:30pm
SEE WHEN YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS PERFORMED!

View/Download a publicity flyer HERE
Program booklet available by request

CLICK HERE for the VIDEOS (bottom of page)

The synopsis below is accompanied by photos and audio from performances on the afternoon of April 7, 2019 at the Peabody School, 70 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge, MA. The 1:00 performance (Gold Squadron) is on the left, the 5:30 performance (Red Squadron) on the right. All photographs by David Rabkin, except as noted.

SYNOPSIS

Act I, Scene 1 - A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

Princess Leia, leader of the Rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire, leads the crew of a Rebel blockade runner, which is under attack from an Imperial Warship as they orbit the desert planet Tatooine.

Photo by Jill Crittenden
Listen to Rebels Are We 1, with The Rebels, Princess Leia and additional solos by Danny Scibelli and Caitlin Anderson	Listen to Rebels Are We 1, with The Rebels, Princess Leia and additional solos by Keiara Hunter and Susan Lane

Leia loads stolen Death Star plans into her robot, R2-D2, and sends him off to the planet surface to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, an old Jedi knight.

Listen to Dear Obi-Wan 1, with Princess Leia and additional solo by Grace Gillig	Listen to Dear Obi-Wan 1, with Princess Leia and additional solo by Karis Galea

R2-D2's beleaguered sidekick, C-3PO, frantically accompanies him to Tatooine.

Listen to Oh Dear 1, with C-3PO	Listen to Oh Dear 1, with C-3PO

Leia's ship is captured and boarded by Imperial Stormtroopers.

Listen to Rebels Are We 2, with The Rebels, Stormtroopers, and solos by Vivianna Jones Tandon and Louis Jones Tandon	Listen to Rebels Are We 2, with The Rebels, Stormtroopers, and solos by Popi Kokkinogenis and Rozi Galea

Darth Vader interrogates Leia. When she won't betray the Rebellion, Vader orders her home planet destroyed by the Death Star.

Listen to The Interrogation, with Princess Leia, Darth Vader, The Rebels and Stormtroopers	Listen to The Interrogation, with Princess Leia, Darth Vader, The Rebels and Stormtroopers

Princess Leia and the Rebels grieve.

Listen to Our Darkest Hour, with The Rebels, Stormtroopers, Princess Leia and additional solo by Oriana McKanan	Listen to Our Darkest Hour, with The Rebels, Stormtroopers, Princess Leia and additional solo by Nicci Stamos

Act I, Scene 2 - The Home of Luke Skywalker on Tatooine [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

Luke Skywalker is an orphaned teenage boy who yearns for adventure, but he is stuck on Tatooine with his aunt and uncle.

Listen to Tatooine, with Luke and the Droid Quartet	Listen to Tatooine, with Luke and the Droid Quartet

Luke and his Uncle Owen purchase two droids from a group of Jawas.

Listen to The Purchase, with Uncle Owen, Luke and additional solos by Julianna Jones Tandon and Lorraine Erickson	Listen to The Purchase, with Uncle Owen, Luke and additional solos by Luka Dvornik and Autumn Lane

The droids turn out to be R2-D2 and C-3PO, who tell Luke all about how they came to Tatooine. R2-D2 runs away after Luke goes to bed.

Listen to Dreadful, with C-3PO and an additional solo by Margot Kelsey	Listen to Dreadful, with C-3PO and an additional solo by Beth Hocking

The next morning, Luke and C-3PO head off into the desert looking for R2-D2.

Listen to Good Morning / Oh Dear 2, with C-3PO, Luke and the Droids	Listen to Good Morning / Oh Dear 2, with C-3PO, Luke and the Droids

Darth Vader and the stormtroopers arrive looking for the droids. Vader orders the destruction of the Skywalker home and the murder of all inside.

Photo by Jill Crittenden
Listen to Vader's Orders 1, with Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers, with additional solos by Tom Gould, Theo Gillig, Eliza Weinberger and Joanne Nicklas	Listen to Vaders Orders 1, with Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers, with additional solos by Melanie Cohn-Hopwood, Marleigh Norton, Yifei Sun and Yongting Wang

Act I, Scene 3 - The Tatooine Wilderness [Listen to the scene sung by the Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

R2-D2 searches for Obi-Wan in the desert.

Listen to In the Wilderness, with R2-D2 and the Sandpeople, with an additional solo by Ayumi Batra	Listen to In the Wilderness, with R2-D2 and the Sandpeople, with an additional solo by Sue Holcomb

C-3PO and Luke find R2-D2. They are attacked by Sandpeople, but Obi-Wan Kenobi appears and frightens them off.

Listen to To the Rescue, with C-3PO, Luke, R2-D2 and the Sandpeople	Listen to To the Rescue, with C-3PO, Luke, R2-D2 and the Sandpeople

Obi-Wan leads Luke and the droids to his home.

Listen to What Brings You Here, with Obi-Wan and Luke	Listen to What Brings You Here, with Obi-Wan and Luke

R2-D2 plays Leia's message to Obi-Wan, imploring him to take R2-D2 to Alderaan; Luke is smitten by her image.

Photo by Jill Crittenden
Listen to Dear Obi-Wan 2 , with Leia and Luke	Listen to Dear Obi-Wan 2 , with Leia and Luke

Obi-Wan tells the story of Luke's father, Anakin, who was killed by Darth Vader. Obi-Wan gives Luke his father's light saber and asks him to accompany him to Alderaan.

Listen to Anakin, with Obi-Wan and the Sandpeople	Listen to Anakin, with Obi-Wan and the Sandpeople

Luke accepts Obi-Wan's invitation.

Listen to Destiny 1, with Luke and the Sandpeople	Listen to Destiny 1, with Luke and the Sandpeople

Act I, Scene 4 - Mos Eisley Spaceport [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

Luke, Obi-Wan and the two droids travel to Mos Eisley Spaceport in search of transport to Alderaan. They meet Chewbacca, who knows someone who can help them.

Listen to At the Spaceport, with Obi-Wan, Luke and Chewbacca, with additional solos by Ben Jerome and Kostas Jerome	Listen to At the Spaceport, with Obi-Wan, Luke and Chewbacca, with additional solos by Walter Hopwood and Sophie Hopwood

In the local cantina, Chewbacca introduces Obi-Wan and Luke to Han Solo, a smuggler who boasts of considerable piloting skills.

Listen to I'm the Best, with Han and the Aliens, with additional solos by Jill Pelavin and Abbe Cohen Dvornik	Listen to I'm the Best, with Han and the Aliens, with additional solos by Katie Leiserson and Eli Grigsby

Obi-Wan and Han agree to terms, but before Han can slip away, Jabba the Hutt, an old creditor, enters.

Listen to It's a Deal / Jabba Jive, with Obi-Wan, Han, Jabba and the Aliens	Listen to It's a Deal / Jabba Jive, with Obi-Wan, Han, Jabba and the Aliens

Jabba threatens Han with dire consequences if he cannot pay his debt.

Listen to The Little Chat, with Han and Jabba	Listen to The Little Chat, with Han and Jabba

Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers arrive at the cantina too late to stop Han's ship from taking off.

Listen to Vader's Orders 2, with Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers, with additional solos by Tom Gould, Theo Gillig, Eliza Weinberger and Darius Silva	Listen to Vader's Orders 2, with Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers, with additional solos by Tom Hamill, Aytan Hamill, Anastasia Miller and Alice Merrill Hunter

Act II, Scene 1 - On the Millenium Falcon [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

Han Solo deftly avoids the Imperial fleet as he leaves Tatooine orbit.

Listen to Light Speed, with Han and Luke	Listen to Light Speed, with Han and Luke

In transit to Alderaan, Obi-Wan gives Luke his first lesson in the Force and being a Jedi.

Photo by Jill Crittenden
Listen to Use the Force, sung by Obi-Wan	Listen to Use the Force, sung by Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan is suddenly stricken as he perceives a great disturbance in the Force.

Listen to Something Terrible, with Luke, Obi-Wan and the Ghosts of Alderaan	Listen to Something Terrible, with Luke, Obi-Wan and the Ghosts of Alderaan

When they arrive at Alderaan, they find the planet has been destroyed by the Death Star. Their ship is taken aboard the Death Star.

Listen to Alderaan, with Han, Luke, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO	Listen to Alderaan, with Han, Luke, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO

Act II, Scene 2 - The Hangar Bay of the Death Star [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

The Stormtroopers on the Death Star are unsure how to proceed when the ship they've just captured appears to have no crew. Two Stormtroopers stay to guard the ship.

Listen to What Do We Do?, sung by the Stormtroopers, with solos by Chloe Duggan, Birikti Kahsai, Charles Leiserson and Bill Laskin	Listen to What Do We Do?, sung by the Stormtroopers, with solos by Alice Merrill Hunter, Verity Gould, Meredith Gast and Sara Verrilli

Emerging from hidden compartments in the ship, Chewbacca overcomes the guards, and Han and Luke put on the Stormtrooper uniforms. Obi-Wan sets off to deactivate the tractor beam, which would allow them to escape the Death Star.

Listen to Secret Compartments, with Han, Obi-Wan, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Luke	Listen to Secret Compartments, with Han, Obi-Wan, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Luke

Knowing he will not return, Obi-Wan says goodbye to Luke.

Listen to Goodbye, sung by Obi-Wan	Listen to Goodbye, sung by Obi-Wan

The others discover that Princess Leia is held prisoner on the Death Star and devise a plan to rescue her.

Listen to He Found Her / The Plan, with C-3PO, Luke and Han	Listen to He Found Her / The Plan, with C-3PO, Luke and Han

Act II, Scene 3 - The Detention Cells of the Death Star [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

Han and Luke, dressed as Stormtroopers, march their apparent prisoner Chewbacca to the cell block where Leia is held.

Listen to Prisoner's Lament, sung by Chewbacca and the Stormtroopers	Listen to Prisoner's Lament, sung by Chewbacca and the Stormtroopers

Chewbacca, Han and Luke overcome the prison guards, and Luke rushes in to free Leia.

Listen to Prisoner Transfer, with Luke, Chewbacca, Han, Rebel Prisoners, and additional solos by Laima Jerome and Sylvia Crittenden	Listen to Prisoner Transfer, with Luke, Chewbacca, Han, Rebel Prisoners, and additional solos by Erin Gast and Razi Youmans

Luke is moonstruck by Leia; the feeling is not mutual.

Listen to Destiny 2, with Luke, Leia and Rebel Prisoners	Listen to Destiny 2, with Luke, Leia and Rebel Prisoners

Han and Chewbacca join Luke and Leia as Stormtroopers close in; with their escape route cut off, Leia blasts a hole in the cell block wall to create a new one.

Listen to Some Rescue, with Han, Leia, Luke, the Stormtroopers and Rebel Prisoners	Listen to Some Rescue, with Han, Leia, Luke, the Stormtroopers and Rebel Prisoners

Act II, Scene 4 - The Corridors of the Death Star [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

Having deactivated the tractor beam, Obi-Wan confronts Darth Vader and demands to know why Vader turned to the Dark Side.

Listen to Waiting for Obi-Wan, with Obi-Wan and Vader.	Listen to Waiting for Obi-Wan, with Obi-Wan and Vader.

Having waited years to face Obi-Wan, Vader figures he can wait another five minutes, and so he provides a long-winded answer to Obi-Wan's question.

Listen to The Dark Side, with Vader and the Stormtroopers	Listen to The Dark Side, with Vader and the Stormtroopers

Obi-Wan battles Vader. Obi-Wan is struck down as the others escape in their ship and head for the secret Rebel base on Yavin 4.

Listen to The Titans, with Vader, Obi-Wan, Han, and Luke	Listen to The Titans, with Vader, Obi-Wan, Han, and Luke

Act II, Scene 5 - The Rebel Base on Yavin 4 [Listen to Gold Squadron / Red Squadron]

Death Star plans in hand, the Rebels strategize. The Death Star appears to be vulnerable to a small fighter firing a missile into a small reactor vent.

Listen to Rebels Are We 3, with the Rebels, Leia and additional solos by Craig Kelley, Ruth Rogers and Alec McKinney	Listen to Rebels Are We 3, with the Rebels, Leia and additional solos by Rachel Cooper, Mary Penniston and John Kernochan

With the Death Star approaching Yavin 4, Luke prepares for battle. Han, however, opts instead to return to Tatooine to repay his debt.

Listen to Take Care of Yourself, with Luke and Han	Listen to Take Care of Yourself, with Luke and Han

The initial Rebel assault on the Death Star is unsuccessful. Only Luke Skywalker still has a clear shot at the Death Star's vulnerability.

Listen to The Battle 1, with the Rebels and solos by Dan McKanan, Oriana McKanan, Julie Viens and David Weinstein	Listen to The Battle 1, with the Rebels and solos by Anya Miller, Katie Hamill, Liz Morse and Tricia Saxler

Luke approaches the target, but Vader's fighter is right behind him. Just before Vader can fire at Luke, Han's ship appears from nowhere and knocks Vader off course.

Listen to The Battle 2, with Luke, Vader and Han	Listen to The Battle 2, with Luke, Vader and Han

As Luke prepares to fire, he hear Obi-Wan's voice urging him to use the Force instead of his targeting computer. Luke's missiles hit their mark.

Listen to The Battle 3, with Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, Han and the Rebels	Listen to The Battle 3, with Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, Han and the Rebels

The Death Star is destroyed and the Rebels rejoice.

Listen to Grand Finale, with Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Han, Luke and the Company	Listen to Grand Finale, with Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Han, Luke and the Company

Watch the full video from 2019, Show 7, Gold Squadron:

Watch the full video from 2019, Show 8, Red Squadron: