Annual Waverly Opera Opens Tonight

Maggie O’Malia had never directed a play before. But when the opportunity came up to direct the Annual Waverly Opera House, she thought, “Why not step up and give it a try?" 

After all, O’Malia has been involved with the Opera House since she was young. She was raised in the , where the Opera House is produced. Her mother worked on the Opera House, and so has her fiancé, so this has long been familiar territory. Now 23 and on the cusp of graduating from Chatham University with a degree in Psychology and Forensics, O’Malia is the youngest congregant ever to direct a Waverly Opera show.

The show’s title? Take a breath: The Saga of the Golden Horseshoe, or: That Was No Lady, That Was My Filly, by Pat Cook.

The show’s cast? Take another breath: 20 actors, all between the ages of 10 and 18.

The rehearsal schedule: Every Friday, from 7 to 9 p.m. since January. At over four months, this might be the most drawn-out rehearsal process in thespian history. But the young cast has remained dedicated throughout.

“You have high school kids giving up two hours on a Friday night,” O’Malia says. “That tells you this is something special.”

The Waverly Opera House is an ages-old tradition, starting in the 1920s, when the church would host informal revues and cabarets. The company reached its zenith in the 1950s, when formal stage-plays were performed by well-rehearsed actors. The company gradually evaporated during the 1960s, only to be revived in 1974 by a certain Carol Thompson.

Every year since, the Waverly Opera House is revived. “Opera” is a misnomer, since actual operas are not performed. The productions alternate each year between all-adult shows (actors, not content), and all-youth shows. Last year’s Cornfield of Dreams was performed by adults, so now it’s the kids’ turn. 

“We have an arsenal of scripts at our disposal,” says Nick Vargas, 28, who is co-producer and engaged to O’Malia. “We usually choose a script based on how many kids want to be involved.”

The script comes from Pioneer Drama Service, a publisher of family-friendly plays based in Denver, CO.

The plot, as it were, revolves around a blacksmith, his lazy assistants, and a horse-thief who has been stealing fillies from the local stables. Vargas and O’Malia don’t delve into the plot, because the story is replete with twists. They describe the show as a melodrama, but it could also be considered a comedy or even a musical, since there are eight songs throughout. 

The long-running joke is that the Waverly Opera House is equipped with an enormous number of musicians with varying numbers of instruments. This year it’s a 27-piece orchestra. Said orchestra is alleged to be positioned backstage.

“The gag is always that we have more behind the curtain than you see,” Vargas says. In reality, the “orchestra” consists of one piano, two guitars, one bass and a drum.

If the Waverly Church is a close-knit community, this production is particularly close-knit: O’Malia directs, her fiancé Vargas is assistant director, Vargas’ brother Dan is also co-producing, and the trio also happen to live together, in a Regent Square duplex owned by the Vargas’ parents, who live next door.

What’s more, Vargas and O’Malia first met at Waverly.

“We grew up in the church,” says Vargas. “We’re all veterans of the opera house. We did our own opera houses, when we were kids. I started when I was in sixth grade. It’s sort of a right of passage.”

“I was baptized there,” O’Malia adds. “My mother was very involved in doing opera houses, and it sort of got transferred to me. It’s been a family thing for both of our families.”

Now the daughter is taking her mother’s role as director, and the pressure is on.

“I was a little hesitant,” O’Malia concedes. “This is the first time people this young have been allowed to direct. We know that all eyes are on us.” But she feels the endeavor is already successful.

“We haven’t even put up the show yet, and the kids are already asking if we are directing again in two years. Even if the show is a complete flop, they want us back," she said.

The Golden Horseshoe plays May tonight and tomorrow evening. Waverly Presbyterian Church, 590 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square. Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. $10. All proceeds benefit youth summer camp. Info: www.waverlychurch.org.