Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle presented by Chicago Opera Theater at The Studebaker Theater

Though best known today for his supposed rivalry with Mozart, Antonio Salieri was a prolific and successful composer in his own right. COT honors the 200th Anniversary of Salieri's death in 1825 with the Chicago premiere of his sparkling comedy, Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle (Falstaff, or The Three Tricks). Librettist Carlo Prospero Defranceschi based his work on the charming anti-hero, Sir John Falstaff, from multiple Shakespeare plays. Premiered in 1799 and inspired by the plot of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff follows the misadventures of the arrogant and bumbling knight as he schemes to seduce two married women - only to be hilariously outwitted by their clever tricks. This comedic tale of human folly, deception, and the triumph of wit over arrogance remains as fresh and funny as ever.