Utah Festival Opera company lists season schedule
What’s the season look like for the Utah Festival Opera Company?
Here are the major offerings.Ticket information can be had at www.ufoc.org
Il Trovatore by Giuseppe VerdiThe Count di Luna yearns for the beautiful Leonora, but she has given her heart to his enemy and rival Manrico, the gypsy troubadour. Unbeknownst to di Luna, his rival is actually his younger brother, stolen away as an infant and long presumed dead, all to fee the vengeance of the gypsy witch, Azucena. Verdi’s epic masterwork of love, murder and revenge is epitomized by the vocal splendor and opulence of the famous Anvil Chorus and is not to be missed.
Most Happy Fellaby Frank LoesserStarring Michael BallamSet in the rolling hills of California’s wine country, this simple yet intricate love story between Tony, a middle-aged immigrant grape farmer and his young mail- order bride, Rosabella, provides a gripping tale of passion, forgiveness and understanding as true love ultimately triumphs. Rosabella is not a standard ingénue. Battered by life, she is still enough of a dreamer to take a gamble and open herself to love. Tony, neither young nor handsome, fears Rosabella will not love him and attempts to pass himself off as the younger, better-looking ranch hand, Joe. The music captures anguish and love with simple poetry and beautiful melodies. Somebody, Somewhere speaks of an indefatigable hope for love; Joey, Joey, Joey is as seductive an expression of wanderlust as many Broadway tune; and My Heart Is So Full Of You captures the thrilling vulnerability of the two lovers. We should all be so lovingly absolved of our mistakes!
Porgy & Bessby George GershwinLife is sometimes tough for the residents of Catfish Row, especially for Bess, a woman trying to break free from a brutish lover and a dark past. She finds shelter and unconditional love with Porgy, but will their relationship be able to withstand the pressures of murder, intrigue, and the day-to-day trials of life in 1912 South Carolina? Gershwin’s legendary work is widely held to be the greatest among American operas. With enduring favorites like Summertime, My Man’s Gone, and I Got Plenty O’ Nothing, it is an experience not to be missed.
Show Boat?by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II?Love blooms on board the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat. Magnolia, the captain’s daughter, falls for the disreputable gambler, Gaylord Ravenal, while the beautiful Julie LaVerne and her husband, Steve, come face to face with miscegenation laws and the harsh reality of life in the South. We follow their stories throughout twenty years of tragedies, triumphs, and tumults in the lavish spectacle from the annals of musical theatre history. Old Man River, Bill and Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man are just a few of the wonderful tunes from Broadway’s first true musical.
West Side StoryBased on a Conception of JEROME ROBBINSBook by ARTHUR LAURENTSMusic by LEONARD BERNSTEINLyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM Based on Shakespeare’s timeless love story, Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story plunges us into the romance of Tony and Maria, a modern day pair of young, star-crossed lovers from different worlds. Join us for a new and exciting rendition of a beloved favorite. You’ll leave humming familiar numbers like Maria, Somewhere, and America, as the Utah Festival Opera singers and orchestra serve up this American masterpiece.