Curtis Opera Theatre Presents "The Elixir of Love," March 10 and 12

Press Contacts:
Patricia K. Johnson | [email protected] | (215) 717-3190
Ryan Scott Lathan | [email protected] | (215) 717-3145

Download PDF

PHILADELPHIA, PA—February 28, 2023—The Curtis Opera Theatre presents Gaetano Donizetti’s hilarious bel canto masterpiece, The Elixir of Love (L’elisir d’amore), on Friday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Film Center. Metropolitan Opera director Sarah Ina Meyers, whose work has been called “enchanting” by The New York Times, makes her Curtis debut in this delightful romantic comedy of errors. Acclaimed conductor Christian Capocaccia—who conducted the school’s 2019 production of The Barber of Seville—returns to lead an exciting cast of rising young opera stars and members of the renowned Curtis Symphony Orchestra in this clever steampunk and Victorian Era-inspired production. Curtis’s whimsical new production captures the spirit of late nineteenth-century fashion and ingenuity, with one foot in the past and one in the future, as Meyers, internationally renowned scenic designer Cameron Anderson, and award-winning costume designer Whitney Locher invite audiences to enter the fantastical mind of Adina, the opera’s genius heroine.

Featuring one of the most popular tenor arias of all time, “Una furtiva lagrima,” and a crowd-pleasing score, The Elixir of Love (L’elisir d’amore) was enthusiastically received upon its premiere in Milan on May 12, 1832, and has remained a perennial favorite ever since. In this visionary update, the laughs come fast and frequent as a love-struck, low-level lab assistant named Nemorino falls head-over-heels for Adina, a genius inventor, and scientist, who has her sights set on the dashing, flashy, and fickle Sergeant Belcore, who has arrived in town to recruit new soldiers. Following a foiled comic attempt to woo her, the pompous military man asks for her hand in marriage, but Adina is in no rush to settle down—not with so many electrifying inventions occupying her mind and her heart.

Enter fast-talking con artist Dulcamara, a traveling salesman who peddles magic elixirs and swindles unwitting fools with his sleight-of-hand parlor tricks. The endearing Nemorino, convinced that drinking one of the man’s mysterious bottles of miracles will help him win the girl of his dreams, withdraws all his life’s savings in the name of love. He soon discovers that it will take more than a sip of liquid courage to make his wildest dreams come true.

“The opera glows in so many different scenarios and settings. It cries out for us to reinvent it,” says director Sarah Ina Meyers, and her sparkling production breathes new life into Gaetano Donizetti and librettist Felice Romani’s charming comedy of errors, one in which all the magic in the world is no match for the wonders of science and the power of true love. As the Curtis Institute of Music celebrates Women’s History Month and honors the many extraordinary women who have changed and continue to change the face of classical music, this remarkable production is a celebration of one woman’s imagination and intellect, and a love letter to the brilliance and creativity of women across the ages.

Single tickets for The Elixir of Love start at $19 and are available for purchase at Curtis.edu. Subscriptions are on sale for Curtis’s 2022–23 season. The flexible Choose Your Own subscription option offers 25% off ticket prices when purchasing tickets to two or more performances. Curtis is also offering a new Season Pass, providing access to all remaining performances in the 2022–23 season for $99 per person. To order a subscription, visit Curtis.edu/Subscribe, call (215) 893-7902, or email [email protected].

The Curtis Opera Theatre’s 2022–23 opera season concludes with George Frideric Handel’s baroque classic, Ariodante, at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, May 4–7 at 7:30 p.m. To learn more about these performances, as well as the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble 20/21 concerts, Curtis Recital Series, and more, visit Curtis.edu/Calendar.

The Curtis Opera Theatre has become known for imaginative productions, bold concepts, and absorbing theatre. Under the artistic direction of Eric Owens and the Hirsig Family Chair in Vocal Studies, Miloš Repický, promising young singers work alongside established professional directors and designers, resulting in fresh interpretations of standard repertoire and contemporary works. All of Curtis’s students in vocal studies are cast regularly throughout each season, receiving a rare level of performance in fully staged productions, in recitals at Field Concert Hall, and as soloists with Curtis on Tour and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Curtis’s educational approach opens professional opportunities for Curtis graduates, who sing with top opera companies across the United States and Europe, including La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.

About the Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. For nearly a century, Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a “learn by doing” philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty that includes a high proportion of actively performing musicians. With admissions based solely on artistic promise, no student is turned away due to financial need. Curtis invests in each admitted student, ensuring no tuition is charged for their studies, and they enter the profession free from educational debt. In a typical year, Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings in Philadelphia and around the world. Learn more at Curtis.edu.

CURTIS OPERA THEATRE: THE ELIXIR OF LOVE (L’ELISIR D’AMORE)

Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Felice Romani

Friday, March 10, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

Philadelphia Film Center
1412 Chestnut Street

Click HERE for more information.

Christian Capocaccia, conductor
Sarah Ina Meyers, stage director
Madison Hicks, choreographer
Cameron Anderson, set designer
Whitney Locher, costume designer
Tláloc López-Watermann, lighting designer
Brittany Rappise, hair and makeup supervisor