An impoverished country lad, the snooty farm-owning lady he adores, and a snake oil salesman with a magic potion that brings the two together—it sounds like an opera.
It is in fact an opera: Donizetti’s comedy romp, L'Elisir d'Amore, which in English means The Elixir of Love. Florida Grand Opera is helping to support the production, which is being presented by Florida L'Opera & Zarzuela. The company is a non-profit organization that helps enrich the community experience using education, research, and performance of lyric works of art, including oratorios, zarzuela, and opera.
Residents of Hialeah and nearby towns will want to see the upcoming performance. This is a fully staged opera, with choir and orchestra. Dr. Jared Peroune, the music director of Florida L'Opera & Zarzuela, will conduct and direct the choir, while Pablo Hernandez handles stage direction.
The plot tells of the lovesick peasant, Nemorino, who adores Adina, the farm owner, but cannot win her. When a traveling salesman, Dulcamara, promises his elixir will make Adina fall in love with Nemorino, the peasant spends his last few cents on a bottle, which is really red wine. Finally, after numerous twists and turns, she recognizes his devotion, and accepts him.
The cast includes Alex Adams-Leytes as Dulcamara, Jose Vasquez as Belcore, Herman Diaz as Nemorino, and Lucia Panizza as Adina. Supertitles in both English and Spanish will be used.
The performance is July 13 at Lehman Theater on Northwest 27th Avenue in Miami, a short distance from Hialeah. Organizers of this type of event frequently use poster printing for publicity.
