Opera Zuid

From ingenious disguises to sneaky dates; love is portrayed as cliché in La scala di seta/Il signor Bruschino by bel canto grandmaster Gioacchino Rossini. In these two operas, the young Rossini first showed his grandiose romantic style and composed witty, energetic music.

Marcos Darbyshire directs these two one-act plays and provides them with jokes to match   contemporary humor. Although all the secret love and devious schemes cause a lot of chaos and laughable commotion, everyone eventually declares their love for the right person. A comedic 'feel-good' performance not to be missed!

In La scala di seta, Dorvil is secretly married to Giulia and climbs a silk ladder every night to see his bride. But Giulia's guardian has other ideas for her future and tries to marry her off. This causes comic twists.

In Il signor Bruschino, Florville uses cunning schemes to get permission to marry his beloved Sofia instead of Mr. Bruschino junior, who Sofia's guardian has in mind as her marriage partner.

"Many old comedy elements are quite sexist and stereotypical. But humor is constantly changing and being reinvented. Especially in recent years, there has been a big change in comedy. Many things that we found funny twenty or even ten years ago are now considered considered passé. I think opera should reflect that shift, including in the way we make comedy." Marcos Darbyshire

• Sung in Italian with Dutch and English surtitles
• With free pre-show introduction at 7:15 PM