The Elixir of Love
by Gaetano Donizetti
Winner of the 2015 American Prize for Opera Performance
September 19 & 21, 2014
The George White Studio at Pittsburgh Opera
Strip District
"the most fun at an opera you will ever have!"
Video Excerpts:
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"I found myself enraptured by the voice of a man in a janitor’s jumpsuit, as he sang 'Una furtiva lagrima,' seemingly to me alone...
They are showing how to achieve great things with modest forces, in a way that doesn’t feel like anything is missing. I’m excited to see what they do next!"
Review from Miss Music Nerd
At Adina’s Cabaret you have a seat right in the middle of this romantic comedy! This production put the audience at the center of the action for an immersive opera experience. Performed in Italian with English supertitles.
With Elixir, Resonance Works introduced both an educational outreach program as well as partnerships with Pittsburgh businesses: Bar Marco mixed drinks that the partons could enjoy in either "traditional" or cabaret seating. Wigle Whiskey hosted a happy hour before opening night and Wigle bottles were used as the "elixir" in the production. Sweet Bites: Custom and Specialty Cookies provided Adina's wedding cookies in act two for cabaret patrons.
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Christopher Lucier
NEMORINO
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Lindsay Ohse
ADINA
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Patrick McNally
BELCORE
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Kevin Glavin
DR. DULCAMARA
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Rebecca Shorstein
GIANNETTA
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Andrew Nienaber
DIRECTOR
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Maria Sensi Sellner
CONDUCTOR/PRODUCER
The Ensemble
Joanna Latini
Jessica Marcrum
Karina Parker
Elizabeth Rishel
Candice Shaughnessy
Emily Stewart
Jezebele Zbozny-DelPercio
Daniel Arnaldos Navarro
Scott Cuva
Matthew Hunt
Marcus Kim
Jeffrey Klefstad
Sean Lenhart
Jonathan MacDonald
George Milosh
Resonance Chamber Orchestra:
Violin I
Jason Neukom
Dawn Posey
Alyssa Wang
Violin II
Greta Mutlu
Ashley Freeburn
Viola
Jason Hohn
Laura Krentzman
Cello
Evan Kahn
Katya Janpoladyan
Bass
Jesica Sharp Crewe
Flute
Jessica Volk
Oboe
Cyn Warren
Clarinet
Ryan Leonard
Bassoon
Andrew Genemans
Horn
Liz Thompson
Trumpet
Don Duncan
Percussion
Siu Yan Yap
Continuo
Uliana Kozhevnikova
Production Team:
Production Manager - Kate Devlin Matz
Assistant Conductor - Jeffrey Klefstad
Assistant Director - Dennis Robinson, Jr.
Stage Manager - Tyler Jacobson
Choreographer - Joel Goodloe
Lighting Designer - Kate Devlin Matz
Costumes - Alathia Campbell
Rehearsal Pianist - Uliana Kozhevnikova
"...the most fun at an opera you will ever have!... Stage director Andrew Nienaber has cleverly set the opera in a 1950s nightclub called “Adina’s Cabaret.” A portion of the audience members sit at café tables (light snacks provided, cash bar in the lobby), the orchestra is arranged like a big band, and the ensemble, dressed in black and white, doubles as the cabaret’s waiters and waitresses. There is a small stage with a microphone, but otherwise the nightclub setting is the set. The majority of the action takes place in, around, and at the tables. The result is utterly, fabulously engaging: the energetic young cast swirls among the tables, interacting and flirting with members of the audience, and using not only music and voice but also body language and facial expression to create vivid, playful characters.... A number of playful touches raise the production’s fun factor... But above all, it’s our immersion in the action that makes the evening such a delight.
Now that I’ve experienced it, I want ALL my opera to come in surround sound."
-- W. Arons, The Pittsburgh Tatler