Mixed Precipitation was started by Scotty Reynolds, who has directed various projects around Minneapolis/St Paul, including The Broken Brain Summit and segments of The Naked I.  According to the website, his goal in starting this theater group was to explore and engage the community in engaging theatrical projects.

The group's picnic opera productions definitely fulfill Reynolds' goal.

The picnic operas began last year with Orpheus and Eurydice. Mixed Precipitation toured various community gardens around Minneapolis-St Paul, performing opera and providing hors d'oeuvres during the show.  The group repeats this formula this year with Tales of Hoffman.

The community garden presents an attractive backdrop for Tales of Hoffman at this time of year, as the vegetation has grown to cover the ground and the fruits of the vines are ripening.  The colors of flowers, fruits, and vegetables adds to the mirth of Offenbach's compositions as Professor Hoffman leads us through his tales of romance and lost love. 

All three sopranos (Olympia played by Lauren Drasler, Guiliette played by Meredith Cain-Nielsen, and Antonia played by Carmelita Guse) have beautifully trained operatic voices that carry above the occasional traffic noise of neighboring streets.  Translations for the songs are provided through various mediums, including signs painted and hanging near the performers, blending into the background with the signs related to the gardens.

Mixed Precipitation's version of Tales of Hoffman brings Hoffman (played by John Zeiler) around the world, though Zeiler does not sing Offenbach's original score.  Instead, Hoffman sings a variety of Prince songs that are surprisingly fitting and unobtrusive for this show.   For example, as Hoffman watches and waits for Antonia, who had been locked up by her father, Hoffman begins to sing the opening of Nothing Compares 2 U- "It's been seven hours and fifteen days, since you took your love away" as he jots notes in his journal.  With perfect timing, Antonia arrives just as he finishes this line.

The community garden setting, during early September, late in the afternoon, adds another layer to the setting for Tales of Hoffman.  The air is generally cooler, and on this particular day at the Midway Greenspirit Community Garden in St Paul, overcast sky and a light breeze made one feel the stories of love while riding a gondola in Venice, as Hoffman was doing in one of the scenes.  The smells of the flowers and garden plants take the audience out of the city and into Offenbach's fictitious world that he created for E.T.A. Hoffman -  a world where communities gathered to hear stories for entertainment verses closing themselves into houses with televisions.

In that imaginary life that Offenbach created so well for his opera, when people gathered, they were not just merry, but they also ate and drank well.  So does the audience at Mixed Precipitation's production.  Each scene had a corresponding drink or food sample, including beets with raspberry glaze, sauerkraut crackers topped with a creamy garlic spread, and peppers stuffed with feta cheese.

The small group of musicians also provided a traveling storyteller experience with guitar, violin, accordion, and upright bass.  Their soft music blended with the performers and were featured when the story called for the guitar or violin.

As the food was passed around, the audience was told how the food fit with the scene and what the food was.  While the first sample was presented with a song and dance as it was served, all of the other food seemed to interrupt the show, though only slightly.  This was the only distracting thing about the performance, and it really wasn't all that bothersome.

Mixed Precipitation still has six performances of Tales of Hoffman at a variety of community gardens near you.  Check out the shows link on their website for details.  Donations are accepted at each event, but not required for admission and all ages are welcome.