A love struck man, a village beauty, an army captain and a travelling doctor with a magic potion will charm Vancouver audiences this winter when Vancouver Opera presents Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love).
Opening Jan. 21 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, this is the second production of the company’s 2017-2018 season, and has not been seen by Vancouver audiences since 1999.
L’Elisir d’amore — the most performed of all Donizetti’s operas — is a Cinderella-esque tale in which a poor and hapless young man wins the hand of a small Canadian town’s most beautiful young woman (with the help of a secret elixir from a travelling salesman). Spoiler alert: The elixir is Bordeaux.
The show features the talents of Langley residents Karen Ydenberg (Vancouver Opera Chorus) and Allan Thorpe (bassoon, Vancouver Opera Orchestra), and will be sung in Italian with English subtitles projected above the stage.
Also featured are: soprano Ying Fang, making her role debut and Vancouver Opera debut as Adina, the rich and witty town beauty; tenor Andrew Haji, making his Vancouver Opera debut as Nemorino, the sweet and naïve love-struck labourer who pines for Adina; bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus singing the part of Dulcamara, purveyor of a bottled elixir of love; and baritone Brett Polegato as Belcore, Nemorino’s rival for Adina’s affections.
The show runs Jan. 21 at 2 p.m., Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Purchase tickets from the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre, 1945 McLean Dr., by phone 604-683-0222 or online www.vancouveropera.ca.
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