Michael Mackenzie Wills & Amber L Spradlin: On … Operation Adelmo

Operation Adelmo takes audiences into the world of Adelmo Guidarelli, involving music and mayhem.
The musical performance show combines opera with pop, rock and country, and mixes in some magic
and puppets. For opera connoisseur and novice alike the show promises a song-filled night to
remember. Creator Michael Mackenzie Wills and producer Amber L Spradlin talk about the show.

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“My show Operation Adelmo is premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s a classic Music Hall style show
starring an opera singer named Adelmo Guidarelli. When it played Off-Broadway at The York Theatre,
critics compared it to Victor Borge and Anna Russell. It’s a completely acoustic presentation of opera,
rock, country, and pop performed with piano, accordion, ukulele, banjo, guitar, trombone, kazoo and
several percussive instruments. There’s also a magic trick and some puppets thrown in for good
measure. I’m most excited to be in Edinburgh because I believe that not since Bill McCue has Scotland
heard such a rich and powerful river-rumbling singing voice,” says writer/director Michael Mackenzie
Wills about the production.

“I concur. If Anna Russell and Bill McCue had a love child it would be Adelmo Guidarelli.” jests producer
Amber L. Spradlin. Adelmo weaves well-known arias with their pop culture counterparts and uses
baseball as a platform to explain the elements of opera. He is loved by both opera lovers and opera
haters and was dubbed The Clown Prince of Opera by New York critics. Also, with Mike (Wills) having
worked with iconic comic legends such as Penn & Teller and Blue Man Group and Adelmo having worked
with operatic greats such as, Lucianno Pavarotti, Gulietta Simionato, Licia Albanese, Sherrill Milnes and
Robert Merrill you know this has to be a very special and exhilarating show,” adds producer Amber L
Spradlin.

Operation Adelmo runs from the 4-28 August (excl 16) at the New Town Theatre at 17.30.