I bought a ticket to this based off of the premise--a cheesy sitcom given the operatic treatment seemed like a recipe for success, but sadly it didn't translate to stage particularly well.
While all the actors had excellent voices, the sitcom portion of the show seemed rather slapdash and the commercials felt shoehorned in and overly long (I'm guessing they took up about a third to almost half of the show). They were somewhat amusing though.
Also note that if you're going to see the show, be sure to sit further back and/or to the sides, otherwise you will run the risk of having the supertitles being blocked by the actors.
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Brilliance ensues in this comedy from the directing team of Kara Morgan and Heidi Tungseth. I can not say enough things about the brilliance of this show. Belli Gemelli was witty, smart, funny, and genius. With the vocal talents of Jon Steinmeier and Timmy Morgan and also the directing duo, this opera sitcom was truly one of the best theatrical things I have ever seen. RUN, as fast as you can to have a side splitting hardy har har good time....
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This show is perfect for folks that want a combination of great comedy and night out at the opera without all the snobbish pretension. Belli Gemelli provides a lovely singing performance (in Italian, no less) while playing with the tropes of network sitcoms straight out of TV Land. The English subtitles as the performers sing help the audience follow the story along with providing additional jokes and gags.
Solid humor, great singing, laugh-out-loud "commercial breaks," and excellent stunt-flute playing add up to a quality hour of entertainment....
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Belli Gemelli was very funny and entertaining!
The cast covers all the great, classic ballads in this
opera sit-com! This is a must see! ...
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Belli Gemelli was absolutely ludicrous while making perfect sense! The cast was impressively talented, both in their comedic timing and their musical capacity. Think Sid Caesar meets 1980's sitcom meets soap opera at the Met. And it's all performed effortlessly. Bravo and twin thumbs up!...
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This show was totally ridiculous in the most wonderful way. Combining the high art of opera with the "low" humor of silly, sketch-style comedy, Belli Gemelli manages to embrace its own over-the-top premise and completely go for it. The show has all the imaginativeness of a couple kids playing make-believe, but is performed by genuinely talented and classically trained singers who really elevate this show with great execution. The video accompaniment to the live show is very impressively well integrated. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but was surprised and delighted. Heidi and Kara are both so much fun to watch....
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HA! It was epic! It was hilarious and the cast is just beyond in this fantastical piece. Heidi & Kara create a most fabulous world and their costumes were glorious! What a fun ride we had --they have been extended--go go go!...
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I laughed the whole time, my face hurt when I left. There is nothing held back in their hugely successful attempt to entertain you 100% of the time. So much truly happy energy put into this show. What delightful human beings....
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Utterly entertaining. Framed as a television sitcom with commercials, the typical storyline with twists keeps adding more twists. This all happens while the actors are singing in Italian with English subtitles. The first half uses familiar opera arias, duets, and quartets while the second half backs up the storyline with pop hits. Like any sitcom the commercials have nothing to do with the show but are whacky takeoffs of late night exercise videos, K-Tel records, and a PSA spot.
The actors are multi-talented. Not only are they fine singers but also instrumentalists. I'll bet you've never seen a flute duet like the one in this show. Their use of facial expressions crosses genres into soap opera. The audience at this opening weekend roared ...
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