Member: Amargosa Opera House

PO Box B
Death Valley, CA 92328
http://www.amargosaoperahouse.com/
760.852.4441

The Amargosa Hotel and Opera House, located in Death Valley Junction, was once the local headquarters of the Pacific Borax Company. On Easter of 1966, the renovation and transformation of this unique and historic adobe complex began, to become the home and performance space of legendary Marta Becket, dancer, painter and author. Becket left the glitz of New York, after performing on Broadway and at Radio City Music Hall, to perform her own shows before her own hand-painted audience in a desert ghost town. Her themes have centered around universal conflicts, such as hope and despair, love and betrayal, and illusion and reality.

Becket's remarkable murals cover the entire walls and ceiling of the Amargosa Opera House. They were 6 years in the making, and now constitute a major local landmark. All 268 Renaissance gypsies, nuns, members of royalty and ladies of the night come to life under the lights, surrounding the living audience at each performance. Becket also painted portraits and whimsical scenes on the walls of the lobby, halls, and rooms of the hotel.