Documentary of opera superstar Michael Spyres – 10 years in the making – makes debut 

The Oscars may be over, but you can still catch a film before it gets too sunny to justify spending time inside a dark room.

The Ozarks Lyric Opera, or OLO, is showing the documentary “An OverKnight Success: The Crazy Life of an Opera Singer” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Gillioz Theatre.

The film shows snippets of the life of OLO Artistic Director Michael Spyres. He’s a baritenor from Mansfield, Missouri, who typically spends about three quarters of the year performing in Europe. Spyres was awarded the French Order of the Arts and Letters in 2021.

He refers to himself as “a hillbilly knight.” He is also the “reigning” International Male Opera Singer of the Year. Spyres and director Edoardo Zucchetti — visiting Springfield from Florence, Italy — will introduce the film to its audience at 2:15 p.m.

‘It was kind of guerilla‘

Some 10 years ago, Spyres met a 20-something Italian guy on the set of rehearsals for Berlioz’s “Benvenuto Cellini” in London. Both Spyres and Zucchetti were fans of the opera director, Terry Gilliam, an American who created the films “Brazil” and “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.”

Also, Gilliam was in this mostly British comedy ensemble called Monty Python.

Zucchetti wrote countless letters to Gilliam. Zucchetti wanted to film the process of rehearsing and performing this opera. Finally, Zucchetti was invited to stop by. He started capturing footage — initially on an iPod Touch — and sent his edits to Gilliam each night. Gilliam was able to review the day’s progress.

It worked out.

“Terry was like, ‘All right, keep doing it,’” Spyres said. “‘Don't worry. If you run into trouble, tell them that you're with me. But don’t let anybody know that you're recording — just record everything.’”

As you might expect from a subversive comic — but is there any other kind? — Gilliam embraced an attitude of “Ask for forgiveness later, instead of permission now.”

“It was kind of guerilla and Terry was totally all about it,” Spyres said. “We couldn't get permission from the actual opera company, and Terry was just like, “It's much easier if you just do it. Then you can ask later after you have the film.’”

Not your typical opera film

Zucchetti shot more than 200 hours of footage of Spyres and his surroundings from the past 10 years. Zucchetti and editor Andrea Londretti assembled the footage it into a two-hour film.

After the opera with Gilliam, Spyres hired Zucchetti to take footage of his first album recording in Germany. Since then, the two have met up a couple of times each year to add to the project.

Spyres didn’t set out to make a documentary. At first, he just wanted to get some footage to show his family. He didn't think anyone else would be interested in seeing it.

“Opera documentaries are boring as hell,” Spyres said.

“They’re always, like, state-produced from Germany or France. And they're just like, ‘Now we're in a beautiful place. And now he's singing a solo. And he's drinking wine and eating cheese.’”

Now, you will find some pleasant shots of food and drink in “An OverKnight Success.” Keep an eye out for cameos from Gilliam, too.

Michael’s older brother, Sean, is curious to see more.

“(Michael) does have kind of a rock star life and I'm interested to see everything that — I know what happens, but I don't get to see it all the time,” Sean Spyres said.

Standing ovations for... dining out?

The movie runs the gamut:

“It’s me working in the fields and singing to horses, or hugging the mayor of Vienna,” Michael Spyres said.

Presumably at different times.

“Opera singers aren't rock stars,” Sean Spyres said. “They can't really be that way. But in Europe it is a big deal. He'll go from the opera house to someplace to eat and he'll get a standing ovation.”

It hasn’t always been that way. It took years to train — much like a professional athlete, Michael Spyres said.

The film shows events from the past decade, in which Michael Spyres has carved out a wonderful life of learning and travel while supporting a wife and two young sons. He first moved to Vienna at 23, and the first 10 years of his career were “really rough,” according to Michael.

“You don't know if you are actually getting anywhere in the business until you actually make it,” he said.

Not forgetting his roots in southwest Missouri

Michael Spyres saw his parents teach in Mansfield for 45 years. He saw how hard they worked. He saw them change lives for the better. He thought he could do the same, in his own way. He also knew opera wouldn’t be as tough as teaching, he said. So, he stuck it out.

“I could never quit,” Michael Spyres said. “I just love to make people happy, and singing is something that makes everyone forget about the difficulty of life. And, it makes others feel something other-worldly.”

His family members recognize Michael Spyres' years of dedication to his craft.

“He kept at it, year after year after year,” Sean Spyres said. “There's a lot of people who have the talent and work hard, but they don't keep at it for decades. But it literally took him decades to get to where he is.”

Michael Spyres and his ‘little brother' make art

Zucchetti is visiting Springfield before flying to Los Angeles for work.

He grew up taking weekly field trips to the churches and museums of his hometown of Florence. He liked studying artwork because it brought him to a particular time and place in history. He spent hours staring at the paintings in church, trying to decipher the stories.

Now he is telling his own.

“I like to show the life of this time,” he said.

Zucchetti started as an actor, then worked as an assistant opera director with Franco Zeffirelli.

He says he merely carried coffee, but Michael Spyres begs to differ.

“He's one of the most artistic and most interesting people that I've ever met,” Spyres said. “And he's like my little brother; my little Italian brother.”

“We are dreamers,” Zucchetti said.

And they persist.

“I think he sees in me what he was when he was younger,” Zucchetti said. “He developed natural talent and found people to employ him.”

Zucchetti recently made a documentary on singer Patti Smith. He and Spyres wanted to bring a bit of a rock star feel to this look at the operatic life.

“We are part of the opera world – but we would like to refresh it,” Zucchetti said.

“Not many opera singers have the life that I have,” Spyres said. “Nor would they be able to – because you have to be slightly crazy.”