Melodrama aboard the V & T Railroad

Submitted by paula on Sun, 08/20/2017 - 9:51pm
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mel·o·dra·ma
ˈmeləˌdrämə/
noun

1. a sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events intended to appeal to the emotions.

It's not every day where one in the Lake Tahoe/Northern Nevada region can see a melodrama, the primary form of theatre during the 19th century. They hit their height of popularity in 1840, but are still with us today.

One such example of this form of entertainment is on board the Virginia & Truckee (V & T) Railroad on their specialty steam train that runs August-October. During their season's inaugural ride August 12, two train cars full of people traveled to the Carson River Canyon and were treated to the melodrama "She Wouldn't Hurt a Fly" along the trip.

In true fashion, one of the crew held up the melodrama prerequisite signs of Boooo, HaHaHa, Gasp, Ooohhh, Yay, ChooChoo and Awww at the appropriate times during the drama as it unfolded in the aisle. The passengers became part of the action as they followed the signs' directions.

The melodrama was coming to a conclusion as the train pulled back into the station 45 minutes later. As everyone disembarked and headed inside the depot they were treated to a BBQ dinner of beef, chicken, beans, salads and a cookie (wine and sodas were for sale).

There are two more chances to hop on board the Melodrama train this year, September 9 and October 7. Tickets for the ride and dinner are $75 per person. Purchase tickets here.