A drive in the night

With gas prices sky-high, Los Angeles Opera has an eco-friendly solution to smog-spewing sedans in its current offering, “A Little Night Music.”

OK, the two vehicles, which might best be described as glorified golf carts and cost $50,000 for the pair, were built for New York City Opera when its production of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical premiered in 1990. But the roadsters’ Act 2 entrance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where the musical is running through the end of the month, still elicits audience swoons.

Designed in collaboration with director Scott Ellis by Michael Anania, who also designed the elegant set, the cars -- one yellow with brown velvet upholstery, the other red with matching leather interior -- are battery-operated, require charging and make use of a toggle switch.

Explains City Opera’s technical director, Chuck Giles: “The switch has two circuits -- one for forward, one for reverse. There’s also a fuse circuit underneath the floorboard.”

The autos, which sport tires similar to bicycle radials, have rubber bulb horns, but their cranking and engine noises are sound effects. As for the vehicles’ reliability, these convertibles don’t appear to be lemons.

“The only reason you shouldn’t be able to start the car is that somebody didn’t charge the battery or the fuse circuit could blow.

“But,” Giles cautions, “the performers drive up a ramp that’s the beginning of a curved cyc[lorama]. It’s a narrow entrance onto the stage, and the performers have tight turns to make. If the performer doesn’t watch what he’s doing, he could drive right into the orchestra pit.”

Or not move at all. With Victor Garber behind the wheel, the yellow four-seater recently refused to budge. Says Ellis: “He put the brake in lock position without realizing it. There was some ad-libbing, and Judith [Ivey] and Kristen [Bell] were able to push.”

“Spontaneous moments are great,” says bass-baritone Marc Kudisch, who played the count in the City Opera production and reprises the role in his debut at L.A. Opera, where he again operates the three-wheeled red car, with the countess, played by Michele Pawk, in tow.

“She leans one way, I lean the other and we just go,” Kudisch says. “For me, I’m a motorcycle rider, and there’s that multi-tasking thing. I love zipping out there and getting up onto the rake. For half a moment, Michele and I are on two wheels while we’re going around. It’s like a mini amusement ride.”

Adds Ellis: “They kick butt.”