awfiery Pf-k- 0 frP fleflPie 14Zier Check out our New Menu Filling The Bill Buy one entree at regular price & get the SECOND entrée at 100% OFF! Tenor Marc Heller takes on two last-minute roles for Michigan Opera Theatre. Your next carry-out! With the purchase of two beverages. Up to $12 value. Not valid Mon-Fri 1lam-3pm. Expires 11/30/03. Expires 11/30/03 . BILL CARROLL Special to the Jewish News • Southfield • • Bloomfield Hills • i Long Lake & Woodward I Northwestern at Inkster (248) 358 -1700 (248) 647- 3400 week for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner ther Loca for MO M 0 Total Bill Expires 11/30/03 Not good with any other offer. of available on lunch or dinner specials. -- - - ---- FREE Appetizer flay (325°° Value) With any catering order of $125 Expires 1120/03 Not • ood with an other offer. Voted... Best Middle Eastern Restaurant by the Jewish News Readers! eKtIteil-- d° Cafe Join us for a unique dining experience in a quaint 1884 Victorian home. 1 FREE DESSERT with purchase of 1 Lunch Entree exp. 1 1-24-03 11/ 7 2003 78 Facility available for private parties. A full-service catering company. Lunch: Tues.-Sat. 11am-3pm•Dinner: Thurs.-Sat. 5pm-9pm•Brunch: Sunday 10:30am-3pm 32905 Grand River Ave., Farmington • 248-888-8088 , zik, j,8 arc Heller could proba- bly use two sets of vocal cords about now The Jewish opera tenor recently concluded one of the starring roles in three performances of A Masked Ball (Oct.18-26), the opening produc- tion of Michigan Opera Theatre's fall season at the Detroit Opera House. On Nov. 8, he will begin a starring role in three performances of Madame Butterfly, to end the fall season. From mid- to late-October, Heller, in his MOT debut, performed-his Masked Ball part with one opera troupe, while rehearsing his Madame Butterfly role with another troupe. "It's been challenging, to say the least," says Heller, 34. The tenor has been singing since he was a teenager, but didn't launch his operatic career until he was 30. "But I'm up to it," he says. "It's a real honor to play these roles in two big operas — and it's a lot of fun." Heller was notified in July that he would replace Frank Lopardo in the role of Riccardo in A Masked Bag Giuseppe Verdi's tale of desire and political intrigue set in 18th-century Sweden. While rehearsing that role in Detroit, he learned he would be a late replacement for Andrew Richards as Lt. Pinkerton, the American naval officer in Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, renowned for its tragic story of unrequited love. In addition to his Saturday, Nov. 8, performance, he'll also appear as Pinkerton Wednesday, Nov. 12, and Saturday, Nov. 15. Jeffrey Springer sings the role Sunday, Nov. 9; Friday, Nov. 14; and Sunday, Nov. 16. "Three to four months is a relatively short time to prepare for an opera role [like Riccardo]; it usually takes about a year," Heller explains. "Getting only one month's notice for Butterfly is almost impossible, except for the fact that I've played Pinkerton before, and with the same women who are in this cast. "Fortunately, that makes the role easier to step into, and a real pleasure to play." Mezzo-soprano Ning Liang plays the part of Suzuki in Butterfly, and Beijing-born soprano Liping Zhang per- forms the title role of Cio-Cio San, the beautiful young geisha who gives her heart to Pinkerton. Marc Heller: Both are making Double duty. their MOT debuts. Heller's musical career is no sur- prise. His father, Dr. Alfred Heller, is a composer and conductor in New York. His mother, Lissy Gulick, is a singer and actress. Born in Florida, Heller moved with his family, first to Cleveland, where he attended a yeshiva, and then on to New York. As a boy, he impressed everyone by beautifully chanting the Four Questions during Passover seders. But rather than chanting, he read the Hebrew passages at his bar mitzvah. "I guess I was at an age when I was becoming rebellious," he offers, "and I just didn't want to learn the melody. "But a year later, I really started singing Broadway-type music, and I got roles in a number of local productions and summer stock. "When I turned 30, I decided that if I was going to take music seriously, I should study serious music, so I made the change to opera." Heller has sung opera and oratorio at well-known opera venues international- ly and throughout the United States. "Michigan Opera Theatre is the best company I've ever worked with," he says. "They're all excellent and have been a great help in getting me through two operas." ❑ Michigan Opera Theatre presents Madame Butterfly 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Nov. 14-15; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16. All performances are at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, in Detroit. $25-$110. (313) 237-7464 or wvvw.MichiganOpera.org . iiv "N` \