What to KnowHercules vs. VampiresLA OperaFriday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31The United Theater on Broadway$56-$129 Oct. 30; $81-$161 Oct. 31Mario Bava’s “Hercules in the Haunted World” will screen with live, before-your-ears singers and an orchestra complementing composer’s Patrick Morganelli’s scoreA costume contest featuring a $10,000 grand prize will take place on Oct. 31 (and Oct. 31 only) at the Halloween afterparty; the second-place winner will be awarded $2500 and $500 is the prize for placing thirdThe grand price, second-place, and third-place winners will receive a pair of VIP tickets to a future LA Opera performance, too<\/p>\n
Theatrical flair, sumptuous staging, huge productions, strange flights of fancy, and colossal conclusions? <\/p>\n
LA Opera has embraced all of the big emotions, famously, all while becoming known for going the distance when it comes to drama.<\/p>\n
It shouldn’t surprise any fan of the operatic outfit, then, that LA Opera’s big Halloween night<\/a> event will not only feature a film that is full of the qualities described above, but a spooky showdown to remember: A costume contest, one that boasts a $10,000 grand prize.<\/p>\n But other showdowns of a cinematic variety are set to take place before the costumes are paraded, and the film-fun face-off is in the title of the atmospheric evening: It’s “Hercules vs. Vampires,”<\/a> an evening devoted to a “Hercules in the Haunted World” screening at the United Theater on Broadway.<\/p>\n The 1961 Mario Bava-helmed movie features Reg Park, a former Mr. Universe, and horror legend Christopher Lee. <\/p>\n Composer Patrick Morganelli’s thrilling score is a sensation, and to bring the fantastical universe closer to the present-day audience an orchestra and live singers will perform inside the spectacular Downtown Los Angeles theater.<\/p>\n The Spanish Gothic venue provides plenty of grandeur, but so will the costume contest’s grand prize, set to be presented at the Oct. 31 afterparty: The winner of the Halloween night costume contest will be awarded $10,000, “thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor,” shared the opera team.<\/p>\n The company also revealed that the costume contest winner will receive a pair of VIP tickets “to an LA Opera of their choice (based on availability) and a private tour for two of the LA Opera Costume Shop.”<\/p>\n The outfits will surely be opulent, epic, and highly original, making for a Halloween extravaganza that is truly Herculean in dimension. Check out all of the costume contest rules<\/a> \u2014 participants will need to be 18 and older, for starters \u2014 before getting to work on your lavish look.<\/p>\n Of course, there is always the Oct. 30 screening, which will not, repeat, not have a costume contest nor an afterparty, but will include the same stirring singing, orchestral music, and “Hercules in the Haunted World” on the silver screen.<\/p>\n If you already have plans for Halloween night but still want to experience this muscular and monstrous Technicolor treat, a trip to the underworld with a heaping of ’60s-style pizzazz, consider purchasing a ticket for Oct. 30. <\/p>\n