Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle presented by Chicago Opera Theater at The Studebaker Theater
Premiered in 1799 and inspired by the plot of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff follows the misadventures of an arrogant and bumbling knight as he schemes to seduce two married women - only to be hilariously outwitted by their clever tricks. Director Robin Guarino with renowned local designers costume designer Jessica Pabst and set designer Andrew Boyce have moved the story from the English countryside to an upscale resort in Southern Italy. Set and costume designs provide a lush and modern background for the timeless antics in the opera and provide a cheery alternative to Chicago's December weather.Filling out the cast for this production are distinguished local artists soprano Vanessa Becerra as Mistress Ford, tenor Andrew Morstein as Master Ford, Tzytle Steinman as Mistress Slender, bass-baritone Peter Morgan as Bardolfo, and recent Ryan Center alumni baritone Laureano Quant as Master Slender and soprano Denis Velez as Betty.
The production is also timed to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of composer Antonio Salieri in 1825. Though best known today for his supposed rivalry with Mozart memorialized in the play and movie Amadeus, Antonio Salieri was a prolific and successful composer in his own right. The performance is scheduled coincides with a run of Amadeus at Steppenwolf Theatre. COT and Steppenwolf will present a free joint program at the Driehaus Museum, on Wednesday November 19. Chicago Opera Theater's General Director Lawrence Edelson and conductor Christine Brandes will join Steppenwolf Artistic Director Audrey Francis; and Jonathan L. Green, Steppenwolf's Director of New Play Development and dramaturg for Amadeus for a dynamic panel discussion about the real highly respected Salieri versus his false legacy as Mozart's rival interspersed with live performances of his music. Tickets to this event are free with reservation. More information can be found at cot.org.
COT will also launch a new ticket program Discover COT in conjunction with this production. The initiative invites new audiences to experience COT's distinctive productions at a special introductory rate. Up to 100 seats per performance will be discounted 50% off for opening night and 25% off for other performances. Tickets are available for first time ticket buyers and must be purchased before November 22 using code DISCOVERCOT at checkout.
"COT's upcoming production of Falstaff is the perfect introduction to the company's unique brand of opera - one that makes opera immediate and alive-visually striking, emotionally charged, and musically thrilling," said Chicago Opera Theater General Director Lawrence Edelson. "We look forward to welcoming first time COT audiences to this irresistible comedy and to all of our future performances through the Discover COT ticketing program."