Martha Lipton with Friends

Portrait of Martha Lipton, a mezzo-soprano singer from the Metropolitan Opera who performed with the Central City Opera as Augusta in the 1959 production of 'The Ballad of Baby Doe', photographed with John Latouche and Frank Ricketson. " John Latouche, Martha Lipton, and Frank ‘Rick’ Ricketson attended a party in celebration of the successful opening of The Ballad of Baby Doe. Latouche, dressed in western duds complete with Horace Tabor-style mustache, wrote the libretto, collaborating with composer Douglas Moore. Mezzo-Soprano Martha Lipton sang Augusta on opening night (then alternated in the role with Frances Bible). New York Herald-Tribune critic Lucius Beebe wrote: “The evening was dominated by Augusta Tabor, played by Martha Lipton, and she carried it off in a very grand manner indeed,” from the description in the book 'Theater of Dreams: The Glorious Central City Opera, Celebrating 75 Years.'