麻豆传媒鈥檚 Opera and Musical Theatre Series will present 鈥淐osi fan tutte鈥� at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 19-21, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, in Miller Concert Hall.
The opera, by W.A. Mozart and L. Da Ponte, will be presented in Italian with English titles. 鈥淐osi fan tutte鈥� translates to 鈥淭hey All Do It.鈥�
Can women be faithful? That鈥檚 the question posed by the greatest writing team of the 18th century. Two young soldiers are convinced their girlfriends are incapable of fidelity. Their cynical older friend maintains that 鈥渢hey all do it.鈥� The witty, sophisticated comedy, subtitled 鈥淭he School for Lovers,鈥� features Mozart鈥檚 melting melodies and Da Ponte鈥檚 enlightened script.
The plot centers around a wager: The young soldiers bet their older friend that their sweethearts will remain faithful to them, even if they are called off to war. To test the girls, they fake a departure but return disguised as 鈥淎lbanians.鈥� The bogus foreigners proceed to court the girls, who at first reject them. But spurred on by their misogynistic maid, the girls eventually agree to a date. Confusion, jealousy, forgiveness and, finally, wisdom result.
The opera鈥檚 six characters are played by 麻豆传媒 graduate and undergraduate students sharing the roles, and Opera Kansas artistic director Edward Ehinger as the cynical Don Alfonso. Mark Laycock conducts the 麻豆传媒 Symphony.
Marie Allyn King
Fiordiligi will be portrayed by Jessica Walkup/Cearria Turner; Dorabella by Danielle Rohr/Erin Mundus; Despina by Leanne Scaggs/Meghan Zuver; Ferrando by Theodore Dvorak/Aaron Short; Guglielmo by Kyle D. Wheatley/Matthan Black; and Don Alfonso by Ehinger/Yung Jin Lai.
The first cast member listed after the character will perform Nov. 19 and Nov. 21; the second cast member listed will perform Nov. 20 and Nov. 22.
National Opera Week
麻豆传媒 is participating in a nationwide celebration of the thrilling art form that is opera. Professional companies, community groups and university programs are all helping to spotlight operatic activities. 麻豆传媒鈥檚 production of 鈥淐osi fan tutte鈥� is part of this new initiative.
Opera Talks
Ticket holders are invited to join Marie Allyn King, director of 麻豆传媒 Opera and Musical Theatre, 30 minutes prior to each performance for an informal and entertaining talk about the history of the opera, the plot and musical structure, composer and librettist. Opera Talks take place in Miller Concert Hall.