A droll and gentle satire of the colorful characters who make up the opera world"A Nut at the Opera" is a colorful and hilarious look at a fictitious opera world as seen through the eyes of artist Maurice Vellekoop. With characters such as Olga Pickuptruckskaya and Valda Heck and references ranging throughout the history of opera, nothing-- from the heights of Wagnerian solemnity to the excesses of French spectacle-- escapes the elegant skewering of Vellekoop' s pen.With an introduction by Stewart Hamilton, radio personality and host of CBC Radio' s "Opera Qui"z, and featuring Vellekoop' s trademark lavish, over-the-top illustrations throughout, "A Nut at the Opera" is for the opera aesthete. The initial drawings were originally conceived as a series of birthday cards for a dear friend of the artist' s who is now deceased; they form a fond tribute to this teacher and mentor.