Timothée Chalamet says nobody cares about opera. These sisters disagree
Opening Friday in Rockville, Victorian Lyric Opera Co.’s ‘Patience’ is a family affair
By
Danny Chung-A-FungJune 5, 2026 5:48 p.m.
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The sound of orchestra musicians tuning their instruments fills the air as the cast members of Victorian Lyric Opera Co.’s production of Patience change into costumes before Wednesday’s final dress rehearsal at the F. Scott Fizgerald Theatre in Rockville.
Though the show was just two days from its Friday night opening, stage director Kathie M. Rogers, 29, and her sister, choreographer Jackie Rogers, 31, appeared relaxed and excited – if not exhausted after a week of technical rehearsals for the lyrical opera production they’ve been working on for months.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience is the lyric opera company’s latest show, bringing together a cast of more than 40 people of all ages and occupations — from lawyers to electrical engineers to professors and retirees.
It’s also a family affair for the Rogers sisters: their father, Bill Rogers, largely constructed the set, and their mother, Kathie L. Rogers, is the lead painter and a producer of the show.
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The show, a satire on the 1880s “aesthetic craze” created by the celebrated Victorian-era duo of Gilbert and Sullivan, is set in a 1950s British coffee shop on a college campus, where the main character, Patience, is looking for love. However, that’s not the only love connection that happens as everyone in the town is also searching for romance and quick to jump ship when a match doesn’t meet expectations.
The show marks the third directorial credit for Kathie M. Rogers. She told Bethesda Today she enjoys the challenge of putting a modern spin on older theatrical works, having done musical theater with her sister for most of her life.
“I think that is a cool experience to watch this piece of art that was made so long ago and [see how] it’s still relevant to this day,” Rogers said. “There’s also a little bit of a love triangle … so if Love Island is more of your thing, you can still get your reality TV show.”
The lyric opera company often presents Gilbert and Sullivan shows and Jackie Rogers choreographed the most recent production of Patience in 2018. She noted she was first introduced to Gilbert and Sullivan at a young age by her parents.
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For those who have never seen a lyrical opera, Jackie Rogers describes the company’s performances as a hybrid between traditional opera and musical theater. Patience features a full set, lights, costumes and a 25-piece orchestra.
“Lyrical opera is … kind of a halfway point between strict opera and musical theater,” she told Bethesda Today. “So it has mostly singing in songs and then, like, some smaller dialogue scenes.”
She noted the opera community continues to be relevant – despite those who think otherwise. Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet, for example, drew criticism recently after saying he wouldn’t want to work in opera because he thinks nobody cares about it anymore.
“The [Gilbert and Sullivan] community is really active and thriving,” Jackie Rogers said. “We just need to look for it — it’s there, it’s here.”
For Bill Rogers, who also is president of the lyric opera company’s board of directors, building sets provides a creative outlet and a break from his regular job as a defense contractor.
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“I work at a computer all day,” Bill Rogers told Bethesda Today. “When I work on sets, I get to see physical results from what I’m doing …. That’s the kind of stuff that I like.”
The Rogers sisters also have day jobs – Kathie is a research psychologist and Jackie is a biological anthropologist for the Smithsonian — but it’s the feeling of community that keeps them involved with the lyric opera company.
“Something that I like about working with this company is, I mean, there are people in the company who do every show who have been here since the company’s inception,” Jackie Rogers said.
Bill Rogers, who has been with the lyric opera company for 12 years, agreed.
“We gathered 40 people together two months ago and we have worked since then to put this together,” Rogers said. “It’s really enjoyable to be part of a team.”
Once the dress rehearsal was underway, the Rogers sisters were in the back of the theater, taking notes on issues to tackle before opening night. They said they try to record one specific note for each of the 40 members of the ensemble.
At the end of the rehearsal, Kathie and Jackie are pleased enough with the performance to send everyone home — with comments forthcoming on the issues to solve before opening night.
While the week of technical rehearsals was grueling for everyone involved, Jackie Rogers said it was still a rewarding experience.
“I’m very tired this week,” she said. “But then you get to do this. Being here is fun.”
Patience opens Friday at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre at the Rockville Civic Center Park at 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville. For performance times and tickets, check the Victorian Lyric Opera Co.’s website.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine