SAVE THE DATE: Feb. 24-March 3
WHAT FOR?
Burnaby Lyric Opera presents The Barber of Seville (in Italian with English surtitles)
WHEN AND WHERE:
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., from Saturday, Feb. 24 to Saturday, March 3. Shows are on Feb. 24, March 1 and March 3 at 8 p.m., and Feb. 26 and 28 at 2 p.m.
WHY SHOULD I GO?
Why would you not? Don’t pass up the chance to see one of the best-known and most popular operas of all time. If you’re an opera fan, you know it already. If you’re not an opera fan, well, chances are you actually know more about it than you think you do – since it’s been famously parodied in Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and Simpsons cartoons, and the overture is played in the Beatles film Help!
Gioachino Rossini’s comic opera follows a suitably convoluted operatic plot, as outlined succinctly in this synopsis from Burnaby Lyric Opera: “Count Almaviva is in love with the young and beautiful Rosina; Rosina is in love with the poor student Lindoro; Rosina’s guardian, Dr. Bartolo, wants to marry her for her inheritance and has imprisoned her in his house; Don Basilio, the music teacher, is helping Dr. Bartolo with his treacherous scheme; and Figaro, the town barber, is helping Count Almaviva in his romantic quest, while cleverly manipulating all of the players.”
In other words, expect a raft of mistaken identities, deceptions, romances and, naturally, some of the most memorable operatic music ever written.
Plus, it will all be performed by a cast of emerging, up-and-coming professional opera singers including Jason Cook as the Barber of Seville, Tamar Simon as Rosina and Thomas Lamont as Count Almaviva.
Stage director is Adam Da Ros, and music director is Angus Kellett.
TICKETS:
Prices range from $15 to $36. Call 604-205-3000 or see tickets.shadboltcentre.com.
- Julie MacLellan
