Emmy-winning composer Daniel Stephen Crafts is one of the masterminds behind Down on the Pharma, a “gonzo” opera that’s sure to cure what ails ya. He says the production is “a funny piece about a pretty serious subject.” Writer and librettist Rick Huff has the sense of humor and imagination to satiate the sophisticated tastes of old-school opera fans while peaking the interest of new, younger audiences. This weekend, The Cell at FUSION (700 First St. NW) takes theatergoers on an anachronistic trip through time, blending new and classical art styles, and prompting Albuquerque to ponder whether today’s prescription drug peddlers might be worse than the serpentine salesman of times gone by.
“It’s almost an oxymoron,” composer, co-writer and director Stephen Crafts says. “People often think of operas being something really serious and heavy, and ‘gonzo’ is just wild and crazy. It’s actually an Italian word that means ‘buffoon’ or ‘fool.’ So that’s where it comes from.”
Part of the opera’s unconventional, gonzo approach to artmaking lies in Crafts’ method of directing. He says he’s more of a coordinator than a conventional director, and this production is collaborative by nature. The singers get the chance to bring their personal flair to the stage and run with it.
“Because everybody brings really good ideas for their characters, I like to just let them go ahead and do what they want to do,” Crafts says.
Crafts and Huff take the idea of big pharma ads like the ones you might catch on TV — promising miracles while blasting off the “small print” side effects at an auctioneer-like pace — and contrast them with turn-of-the-century snake oil sales pitches about cure-all concoctions. Thomas Monroe, who plays sketchy salesman Doc Charletayne, delivers the pitch with the drama and pathos of a traditional opera singer.
Munro sang in the role of The Judge in January’s Gonzo Opera #trialbytext and as Erik Ingels in The Other Side of the Veil, an “Opera From the Crypt” Gonzo Opera put on last Halloween. He says it’s fair to say Down on the Pharma opera exists a little bit out of time, and it is not exactly a work of realism. While hawking his wares, “Doc” meets some townsfolk who don’t seem to be the average suckers he’s used to scamming. Unbeknownst to him, the townsfolk are really time travelers from the present.
“In the balance of the opera, they are teaching him the ways of modern pharmaceutical sales and the world of pharmacology today,” Munro says. “And of course, he is shocked by the extent to which his shady practices have been out-shaded by the modern approach.”
Munro says Down on the Pharma is relatively light-hearted compared to classical Italian or German opera, but the creators and cast of this “labor of love” wholeheartedly welcome traditional opera connoisseurs to check out something a bit wilder than they might be used to. He says opera isn’t a “stodgy art form” but something lively and still kicking in 2025. What makes Gonzo Operas unique is their ability to reel in folks who are new to opera or those looking to give it a second chance.
“It gives singers and musicians opportunities to participate in opera, which can be very hard to come by,” Munro says. “In this case, it gives a composer an opportunity to get his work performed and audiences a chance to see opera at a very affordable price in a very welcoming, non-intimidating environment. And it keeps the art form of opera moving forward.”
The cast also includes soprano Hannah Stephens (Adicta), Esther Moses (Mypilla), Santiago Alfonzo Meza (Drug Doug), Molly Hill (flute & piccolo), Megan Snow (clarinet) and features Joe McCanna playing piano. Crafts says Stevens is a fabulous coloratura – so as an encore, he’s written a vocalese (song without words) which will show off the full range of her brilliant talent and end the show with some fireworks.
“There is social commentary to a certain degree, but overall, I expect that people will be doing more laughing than crying during these Gonzo Operas,” Munro says. “It’s a shirt-tail, ‘everybody pitches in’ situation, and so there’s definitely a lot of love for the art form that is driving this work.”
Down on the Pharma
May 9, 7 p.m.
May 10, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
FUSION | The Cell
700 First St. NW
$20 General Admission
$10 Student
fusionnm.org