Throughout college Edgar performed in operas and operettas. In the spring of 1950 he landed the role of Mercutio on "Romeo and Juliet." Here's his memory of that experience:
"If you know the story, Mercutio gets in a duel with Tybalt, one of the Capulets, and Romeo steps between them to stop the fight. Tybalt slyly sidesteps and skewers Mercutio. This was my first "on-stage" death so I put myself into it. As I fell backward I automatically tried to break my fall by throwing my arms back. I can still feel the bone chip on the point of my right elbow. I play with it sometimes...it's like a tiny kneecap. There's a lot more to learn than just notes, movement patterns on stage and words!"
We'd like to share some of his memorable roles in opera and musical theater. His last theatrical performance was the role of Reb Tevye in NAU's 1993 production of "Fiddler on the Roof." It was quite demanding but his cumulative aches and pains helped him stay in character!
There's no business like show business...
In his family biography, Dr. Stone says this about his early interest in music:
When I started to school, many things were learned about me:
1) I was very musical, carrying a tune well and keeping the rhythm appropriately
2) I was imaginative, could rhyme, and I had a sense of humor
3) I was highly motivated and could "make believe"
4) I was a little ham!
These qualities served him well throughout his life. In high school he joined the National Thespian's Club and learned to deliver lines convincingly. Thanks to his friend Charles Nelson, he became an extra in opera productions in Dallas (called Grand Opera Supernumeraries) and fell in love with the costumes and the stage.
His first opera role was Corporal Morales in "Carmen." It was his freshman year (1948) and a Fort Worth TV station wanted to feature the North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas) production. It turned out to be the first televised performance of "Carmen" in the country.
Iago in NTSC's 1951 production of "Othello"
Major-domo to the Princess Houston Grand Opera's 1959 production of "Der Rosenkavalier"
His final stage role as Tevye. "Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as... as a fiddler on the roof!"
Iago in NTSC's 1951 production of "Othello"