LOS ANGELES — In opera, there are artists who sing high notes, artists who sing low notes and artists who sing no notes at all. They’re called supernumeraries, and at LA Opera, Michael John is the most super of all.

The 2022 production of "Tosca" marks his 60th show at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and his seventh time performing in the Puccini classic. His face may not be the one on banners all around Los Angeles, but it’s very familiar in the cavernous maze beneath the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Arriving at the artists’ entrance for the final dress rehearsal, it’s clear John knows and is liked by everyone in the building. He greets the security staff with a fist bump, jokes with the COVID compliance officers and refers to nearly everyone he passes as one of his “favorite people.”

Opera wasn’t exactly where he imagined his career would go. John studied acting, but his career shifted into high gear doing stunts for films like "To Live and Die in LA." A friend told him the opera often needed actors trained in stage combat, so he gave it a try. He didn’t know much about opera at the time, but now he absolutely loves it. Especially "Tosca."

“This is my favorite opera,” he said, and one he’s done before. In fact, this is his seventh production of "Tosca."

“Same role, same character," he said.

Or in this case, characters. Over the show’s three acts, John transforms from well-dressed henchman to downtrodden prisoner to mustachioed member of the firing squad.

“I know, how’s that work?” he laughed over the final role reversal.  “It’s really cool because they take a lot of the dirt makeup off, dress me with a mustache and I look like somebody totally different.”

Upstairs in the wings, John still gets a rush of adrenaline. He’s shared this stage with some of the most revered names in the industry. Renée Fleming. Plácido Domingo. And at the moment, LA native Angel Blue.

“I can’t tell you what an honor and what a privilege it’s been to be onstage and hear these people sing,” he said. “It’s incredible.”

Sure, he’s more of a silent scene partner, but he knows they know what he brings to the production, and he thinks audiences do too, even if they don’t realize there are non-singing actors up there.

“Which is fine,” he insisted. “That’s part of what we do. We’re seen and not heard. We give all the background and the tone and part of that setting to every opera that we’re in. If you don’t have supers or a set, you’re doing a concert.”

Stage Manager Erin Thompson-Janszen agrees. She’s been with LA Opera for 11 years and not only is she an opera superfan, she’s a super superfan.

“They are extremely important,” she explained. “We cannot do an opera without the supers. They’re absolutely essential to our productions. And they really elevate those performances.”

As for the qualities that make a super super, she said a passion for performing makes all the difference. They may be silent but they aren’t just scenery.

“They’re amazing performers," she said. “If the singer comes up to them and needs a shoulder, maybe needs feedback from the super and so they’re actively engaged the entire time.”

The final dress rehearsal for "Tosca" was held in front of an audience of hundreds of students from all across the city, many of them seeing an opera for the first time. Also in the house was legendary director John Caird, who in addition to operas also directed the original West End and Broadway productions of “Les Misérables” 

While some directors treat supers as an afterthought, Caird spent early blocking rehearsals giving each one direction and intention, shaping their performances with as much care as he gives the starring roles.

“Because they all play actual characters,” he explained. “When a director adds touches to make things seem more real, the supers really help that sort of background movement of human activity, which make the audience believe in what they’re watching.”

Plus, he added, they are generally very good actors. “The only problem you get sometimes is that a particular super might decide that they want to act a little bit more than everybody else,” he chuckled, “and so they ham it up a bit. So you have to sort of settle them down and get them to be a bit more real.”

Michael John never has that problem. Whether cracking the whip in "Billy Budd" or limping across the stage as an injured political prisoner in "Tosca," he has become a trusted go to for featured moments. And even with 60 productions on his resume, he says being a supernumerary never feels like just a job.

“I definitely still get the thrill every time,” John said. “There’s nothing like a live audience.”

And while he may not wear a cape — at least in this particular production — it’s clear that John is a pretty super super with no plans to retire anytime soon.

“As long as I’m healthy and they keep calling me back,” he said, “I’m gonna keep coming and enjoying it and doing the work.”

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