This is a strange desert gem with adjacent hotel in the middle of nowhere in Death Valley, which was screening a documentary tonight on the woman who used to perform there almost daily. So odd, as there’s not even so much as a gas station for at least 30 miles.
From an old NYT article: “To the east is another oddity: the Amargosa Opera House, in Death Valley Junction, founded in 1968 by Marta Becket, an 87-year-old actress and artist who has been performing there pretty much ever since. Some of the property’s buildings are creepily decrepit, while the opera house itself has been lovingly restored by Ms. Becket, with elaborate murals, vintage seats and a backstage stuffed with costumes.
But on the night I was there, the drama was more spiritual. A ghost-hunting team was leading a six-hour tour of the hotel, which is said to be home to hazy phantasms and glowing orbs. Several dozen eager participants had signed up, at $125 each.”