Have you ever wondered what a classic video game story would be like if it was sung on stage? Wait no more!
Creator Jonathan Mann has posted the first act of "Mario Opera" on to YouTube, featuring 11 songs that provide 40 minutes of musical kitsch.
Mann created the "Mario Opera" in early 2005, channeling his love of the games of Shigeru Miyamoto into his musical profession. It was first performed in May 2005, with Mann not only writing and directing, but playing the famous Brooklyn plumber. He and his cast played another 30 shows through 2005 and 2006, but then he hung up his red hat.
But in August 2013, Mann brought the "Mario Opera" back for one last concert performance. And he recorded it for posterity, and for posting on YouTube.
Mann gladly presented the opera one more time. "I'm really proud of the Mario Opera - I think it's a great show that anyone who grew up playing Mario will appreciate and enjoy, and there are moments that will give you genuine feels," he wrote.
The opera features a mix of original music and classic songs from Nintendo's Super Mario games, both accompanied by original lyrics by Mann that tell the tale of Mario coming to the Mushroom Kingdom, his wedding to Peach, her kidnapping by Bowser and Mario's subsequent quest to get her back. And it isn't all fun and games. One song is about the existential crisis Mario goes through when he realizes he is a murderer of turtles and mushrooms. Another is Mario's realization that he is doing the same level over and over again. Another song pays tribute to Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
Mann had considered doing more with the opera, but he is wary of Nintendo. He wrote, "After the performance, we talked about ways we might bring 'The Mario Opera' to fruition, for a true full run, maybe off-off-Broadway. There was talk of a Kickstarter. It seemed like it could work. But then, literally days after we had this conversation, the news came out that Nintendo had sqaushed [sic] a Metroid fan film that was funding through Kickstarter. That just about killed my ambition with the project for good."
You can watch the first act of the "Mario Opera" on this playlist or start with the first song below.
