Venue
Tickets
€25 – €50
Duration
Approx. running time: 60 minutesWexford Factory Sponsor
Overview
Opera in a prologue and two acts by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Semi-staged opera
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
First performance
Teatro Dal Verme, Milan, Italy, 1892
Background
It’s easy from this distance to overlook the fact that Pagliacci was one of the earliest operas (along with Carmen and, of course, its fellow Cavalleria rusticana) to enable the feelings and emotions of their lowborn characters. But Pagliacci stands out especially for doing so while also making extremely sophisticated musical and dramatic points about theatrical illusion and reality.
Cast
| Canio | Samuel White |
| Nedda | Maria Matthews |
| Nedda | Kathleen nic Dhiarmada |
| Nedda | Laura Ahearne |
| Tonio | Giorgi Lomiseli |
| Beppe | Rory Lynch |
| Beppe | Paolo Nevi |
| Silvio | David Kennedy |
Creative Team
| Conductor | Emanuele Quaranta |
| Stage and Costume Designer | Frances White |
| Lighting Designer | Paolo Bonapace |
The Plot
Pagliacci is a dramatic tale of love and betrayal centred around a commedia dell’arte troupe. Canio and Nedda are married, and Nedda has a secret affair with Silvio. Fearing Canio’s jealous anger, Nedda hides the entanglement and even attempts to break it off with Silvio. Yet, their love is strong, and they plan to run away together.
Tonio, also in love with Nedda, admits his love for her, but she turns him away, humiliating him. In an act of revenge, Tonio tells Canio that Nedda is having an affair, as he suspected. During a performance, Canio confronts Nedda and stabs her. Silvio attempts to save Nedda, running up on stage but is also stabbed by Canio. The audience, not realising the reality in front of them, claps until Canio screams, “the comedy is ended.”
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View full programme
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