I love a good comedy and Vancouver Opera has delivered a standout comedic opera performance to a full house of patrons who were loving last night’s performance.
It is a dazzling production of Gaetano Donizetti’s classic comic opera,Don Pasquale. With an all-star cast and music calibrated for virtuosity, Donizetti’s giddy masterpiece of inter-generational jealousy and reconciliation, young love, and madcap machinations bursts with vivid colour and endlessly engaging melodies.
Don Pasquale is the story of an aging bachelor’s scheme to marry and disinherit his rebellious nephew Ernesto of his accumulated wealth (namely a ramshackle pensione populated extensively by cats). Not to be outdone, Pasquale’s plan is countered by a bait-and-switch caper hatched by Dr. Malatesta and Ernesto’s love, Norina, who goes undercover as Pasquale’s new and decidedly not-as-advertised bride and it’s hilarious.
A production helmed by Barbe & Doucet (aka costume/set designer André Barbe and stage director/choreographer Renaud Doucet) is a rare, must-see treat for Vancouver audiences. The last time the renowned artistic innovators transformed the QET stage was with their bold take on La Bohème in 2019.
For Don Pasquale, they haven’t just brought eye-popping colour to the sets and costumes; their whimsical mid-century Technicolor filter and deliriously detailed stagecraft adds intriguing new layers to the story while giving audiences some seriously fun stimulus for the senses.
Single tickets for the last performance of Don Pasquale start at $50 and are available now through the Vancouver Opera box office online or at 604-683-0222.
