Bon Appétit! by Lee Hoiby

Julia Child, Hannah Miller
Collaborative Pianist, Dr. James Lent
Assistant, Carmen Edano
May 16, 2022, at the University of California, Los Angeles
Bon appétit! was Hoiby’s last operatic work. It was written as a one-act
opera, or a “monologue for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble.” The piece was originally written for actress Jean Stapleton, who premiered the work on March 8, 1989, and later performed it for a short off-broadway run. Hoiby’s partner Mark Schulgasser took transcripts from two episodes from Julia Child’s show “The French Chef” to adapt the text; although, it is largely based on Season 8, Episode 5 in which Child teaches her audience to bake a chocolate cake. The show’s popularity stemmed not only from Child’s cooking expertise, but also her wit and genuine personality. Hoiby left a lot of the “gags” for the stage adaptation and wrote a straightforward vocal line to fit the attitude of the television show.