Opera Orlando presents two operas rolled into one with Hector Berlioz’s Beatrice + Benedict and Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Watch these stories unfold simultaneously on an Easter day in the Sicilian town of Messina. Audiences first watch Berlioz’s comedy, based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, play out in the town square with weddings and a happy ending for all, and then a more tragic tale is told as Mascagni’s verismo opera happens in the exact same town square.
This is an all new opera mash-up conceived by Company artistic director Grant Preisser. He leads this production joined by conductor Alfred Savia making his company debut. The production will also feature the Opera Orlando Chorus and Youth Company, as well as dancers from Orlando Ballet and live music from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.
Beatrice + Benedict will be sung in English and Cavalleria Rusticana will be sung in Italian. Both will have English and Spanish supertitles. The run time for the full evening will be 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.
Please contact the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office directly for tickets and questions.