Boston Lyric Opera Donizetti’s L’ELISIR D’AMORE A Happy Treat

Spring is almost here so rejoice at a happy opera. In Boston, the Boston Llyric Opera’s season continues with Gaetano -Donizetti’s L’ELISIR D’AMORE, from March 14-25, 2008 at The Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre, Boston. BLO presents a new production of Donizetti’s boisterous comedy L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love), a flirtatious tale with a happy ending. Set in the innocence of Middle America in the early 1900's, this charming production leaves the audience sighing not crying. L’elisir d’amore is another co-production by BLO and Opera Colorado, a partnership that has brought to the stage Eugene Onegin in 2005, La traviata in 2006 and Un ballo in maschera in 2007.

Maria Kanyova returns to sing the role of the carefree beauty, Adina, a role for which she won acclaim in Colorado. Ms. Kanyova debuted with BLO as Tatyana in 2005’s Eugene Onegin. Tenor Eric Cutler sings the role of shy Nemorino, her love struck ice cream man. Mr. Cutler made his BLO debut in 2002 as Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio. Baritone James Westman returns as the dashing Sergeant Belcore following his critically acclaimed performances as Germont in La traviata and Athanäel in Thaïs in 2006. The Company also welcomes back bass Dale Travis as the potion-prescribing Dr. Dulcamara, a role he sang for BLO in 1997. Ji Young Yang, makes her BLO debut as Gianetta.

A veteran production team joins the cast. Maestro Stephen Lord conducts and James Robinson returns to direct. Allen Moyer and costumes by Tony Award winner Martin Pakledinaz design sets.

L’elisir d’amore will be sung in Italian with projected English translation The Shubert Theater is at 265 Tremont Street in Boston ’s Theatre District. Single tickets on sale now for L’elisir, starting at $33. The next production is The Abduction from the Seraglio April 25-May 6. Visit www.citicenter.org or call (866) 348-9738 for tickets and information.

BLO’s mainstage productions at the Citi Shubert Theatre, live broadcasts on WGBH radio, traveling production of a fully staged, one-hour English version of a popular opera for school children and families and other outreach activities reach over 200,000 people a year. Boston Lyric Opera ’s programs are funded, in part, by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. www.blo.org.

Opera for the Kids – The Boston Lyric Opera presents a production in Marblehead, of Engelbert Humperdinck’s treat of an opera, Hansel and Gretel. The one-hour, fully staged, English-language version features BLO’s orchestra. In this classic fairy tale geared for children ages 6-12, a walk in the forest turns into a discovery of delights and frights. A gingerbread house tempts Hansel and Gretel’s taste buds, but behind those sugar-coated gumdrop walls lurks a witch! Hansel and Gretel must stick together to free the forest from a wicked spell. This production is a perfect way to introduce children to opera and is great for the whole family, grandparents to grandkids. Sunday, March 30, 1:30pm, Marblehead Veterans Middle School Performing Arts Center, 217 Pleasant St., Marblehead, MA.

Tickets: $18 for adults and $12 for children. Call Audience Services at (617) 542-6772 or order online. For Waltham performances, call Brandeis Tickets at (781) 736-3400.