Have you ever been to a picnic operetta? I hadn’t until today. What a great idea. On a late summer afternoon – gather actors, musicians, chefs and spectators together in a ready-to-harvest community garden. Provide picnic blankets for seating. Perform the operetta and pass delicious tidbits to enjoy while viewing the performance.

The costumes and props were colorful, dynamic and creative as was the talent. Here’s the write-up from their website, Mixed Precipitation:

Alcina’s Island:

A Picnic Operetta

August 20 – October 1, 2011

This Alcina is rowdy and delicious!

In our colorful re-imagining of George Frideric Handel’s 1735 opera Alcina, the garden becomes a truck stop on the American highway. Scheming sorceresses Alcina and Morgana become truck stop waitresses, luring brave truckers astray. We combine Handel’s early baroque with outlaw country, trucker songs and classic old-time music.

Handel’s opera — based on Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando furious — features monsters, magic spells, rings of invisibility and a flying hippogriff.  And, of course, the glory of love and music conquers all!

The magic of this island will be all the more savory, with Chef Nick Schneider’s five course sampling menu of locally sourced treats created especially for this performance.

The chefs’ tidbits were pretty amazing too. We sampled pickled ramps, skewered zucchini jerky and juicy watermelon cubes with salty/spicy centers, among other things. Everything was created from local, in season, ingredients.

Check their website for a schedule of Twin Cities performances and treat yourself! Do plan to contribute a well-deserved donation after the performance.

You may also like August Evening Picnic, Market Flowers – Fabulous and Basil to Pesto.