The POP production of La Boheme was great fun and the company sang beautifully. This is an excellent night out for people who love opera or people who just want to experience it for the first time.

POP just completed its run of La Calisto, a reimagined 17th century opera telling the story of love, affairs and betrayal among the greek gods, and one human. The supertitles at times provide humorous non-literal translations, the scenery is modernized and edgy, and the story was presented in comedic fashion. The venue, the Ebell Club in Highland Park is intimate, though the chairs are uncomfortable, so bring cushions. The performance included a small live orchestra along with a large cast. This is a great bargain, with general admission seats for $20 and a table for four for $100, including wine and snacks. POP is a unique LA experience, and highly recommended.

I became familiar with the POP opera group through a brief evening performance of various company members at the Miles Theatre in Santa Monica. I was impressed. That evening they announced an upcoming performance of Carmen noting that the seating is either a single chair or small table format which sounded interesting. The tables were sold-out for a weekend night so I purchased (2) single seats at $20 apiece. The current venue is a theater in Highland Park near the 110 freeway or 1-1/2 blocks from a light rail stop. There were about 100+ in attendance, the audience section was informal. The tables for either 2 or 4 came with a bottle of wine(there is a selection), water, and a nice size presentation of cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, salami, a cookie, etc. which was more than a snack and less than a meal. When the performance began it was apparent within minutes that this company offered a high level of quality and enthusiastic performers, a unique twist and staging of the story of Carmen, a relaxed and cozy setting with decent acoustics, and excellent value for the ticket price. My guest and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire performance, appreciated the professional handling of the refreshment area( wine and non-alcoholic + small versions of the table food), the good sight line, the ease of coming and going i.e. parking, and the overall robust and fun evening. In fact, I went ahead and purchased a table for two for the May staging of La Calisto. I was advised that currently they offer performances at this locale and another site in Los Angeles. It was terrific to see that the Opera culture was alive and well aside from the more formal, grand, and expensive offerings in the LA area.