Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci Delivers Passion and Power at Lyric Opera

Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci at Lyric Opera is exactly the kind of event that reminds Chicago why it’s an opera city. This powerhouse double bill has surged to the top of the season’s must-see list, with critics across town calling out its emotional punch, vocal firepower, and cinematic stagecraft—and with performances continuing through November 23, 2025, there is still time to experience it for yourself.

Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci at Lyric Opera in Chicago

Together, these two classic one-act operas create a tightly paced evening built on raw passion, jealousy, betrayal, and revenge. In Cavalleria rusticana, the sun-drenched Sicilian village feels intimate and dangerous, a place where private sins are dragged into the town square and answered with blood. Pagliacci shifts to the world of a traveling troupe, where the painted smile of a clown can’t hide a heart splitting in real time. Critics have praised how this pairing at Lyric heightens the contrasts—rural vs. rough-edged theatrical, sacred ritual vs. public spectacle—while revealing a shared core of very human, very modern heartbreak.

Much of the excitement centers on the cast and the sheer vocal glamour onstage. Lyric’s lineup delivers the big moments audiences come for, but with specificity and dramatic bite that reviewers have repeatedly singled out. The leading roles are sung with rich, expressive voices that cut cleanly over the orchestra without sacrificing nuance, drawing you straight into each character’s desperation rather than just showcasing high notes. The dual roles for the baritone anchoring both operas have been especially celebrated for their authority and complexity, while the tenor performances bring both youthful heat and devastating emotional clarity to the climactic scenes.

Another recurring point of praise is the production itself: a revival of an iconic staging that looks grand without feeling fussy. The designs give Cavalleria rusticana a lived-in village world teeming with neighbors, family, and tension, then pivot to a bolder, theatrical environment for Pagliacci that underscores its “show within a show” spiral from performance into real violence. Reviewers have highlighted how clean, readable storytelling, smart use of levels and crowd movement, and vivid lighting make the drama instantly accessible—even for newcomers who may not know a word of Italian.

What truly makes this production stand out in Chicago’s crowded fall lineup is the sense that the entire house is working at full throttle. Under the baton of Music Director Enrique Mazzola, the Lyric Opera Orchestra is described as playing with bite, sweep, and rhythmic urgency, matching the onstage passions blow for blow. The chorus—augmented by additional voices and supernumeraries—functions as a character of its own, from Easter morning exultation to the chilling crowd reactions that frame each tragedy. Multiple reviews point to this combination of orchestra, chorus, and principals as the element that lifts the evening from “classic repertory” to essential event.

Add in projected English titles, a compact running time with two complete stories in one night, and Lyric’s grand acoustics, and Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci becomes both an ideal first opera experience and a thrilling return for longtime fans. The critical consensus is clear: this is one of the top-rated shows currently running in Chicago, a blazing showcase of verismo drama that feels immediate, visceral, and unmissable. Audiences have only through November 23, 2025, to catch this explosive double bill at Lyric Opera—anyone serious about seeing the best of what Chicago’s stage has to offer this season should make room for Cav & Pag before the final curtain falls.