From TOLEDO OPERA
Toledo Opera announces plans to return with the 2023-2024 performance season.
Beginning in October, the season will feature three main-stage productions.
The 65th season will feature iconic works of theatre and literature – beginning with a fairytale comedy, followed by a cinematic-inspired production of Shakespeare, and ending with a work of Broadway (a premiere for Toledo Opera). It is a chance for Toledo Opera to tell timeless stories through music that is known, loved, and refreshed in live performances. Opening on October 6 with Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola), followed by Gounod’s “Romeo & Juliet” (“Romeo et Juliette”), the season will conclude with a semi-staged production of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ “Ragtime.”
“We welcome each and every person living in our community who wants to experience remarkable voices and strong storytelling to purchase the opera season subscription and come to the opera three times next year. Plan to be in that audience!” shared Toledo Opera Executive Director, Suzanne Rorick.
“We are offering excellent casts and creatives to bring our productions to life with each based on a classic story which has stood the test of time,” added Co-Artistic Director James Norman. “’Cinderella’ sweeps to the stage as a family-friendly comic tour de force, ‘Romeo & Juliet’ gushes in cinematic scope, and ‘Ragtime’ combines the best of Broadway with the power of opera.”
Three-show subscriptions and single tickets are available for purchase now at toledoopera.org or by phone at 419-255-7464. To learn more about the season, visit toledoopera.org
2023-24 Season Schedule
“Cinderella” by Gioachino Rossini
October 6 & 8, 2023
Valentine Theatre
Never before seen by Toledo Opera audiences, the beloved tale of Cinderella meets operatic delight in this Rossini hit. Based on the iconic children’s story, Angelina (Cinderella) sweeps the floors while her farcical stepsisters try on dresses, vying for the extremely eligible Prince Ramiro’s hand in marriage. In a twist of fate, Angelina meets Prince Ramiro. Charmed by her goodness, he knows he has found his soulmate.
Amid household chaos, squabbling family members, and mistaken identities, Angelina’s honesty and forthrightness bring this story to its rightful and hilarious conclusion. Rossini’s charming take on the classic Cinderella story will delight audiences of all ages in this family-friendly opera. “Cinderella” stars mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit as Angelina and tenor David Walton as Prince Ramiro.
Maestro Douglas Kinney Frost conducts Rossini’s sparkling score as director Marc Verzatt brings this enchanting story to life.
Sung in Italian with English Supertitles
“Romeo & Juliet” by Charles Gounod
February 16 & 18
Valentine Theatre
The world’s most celebrated love story finds new dimension in Charles Gounod’s classic retelling of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” Set in 15th century Verona, the deep and rapturous love between Romeo and Juliet rivals the longstanding feud between their families – the Montagues and the Capulets.
Will these star-crossed lovers be able to endure their feuding kin or succumb to tragedy? From tender intimacy to ecstatic grandeur, Gounod’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s eternal drama comes to life in a cinematic-inspired production.
Gounod’s lush, romantic opera will explore the fragility of innocence and youth in the face of political turmoil. Real life couple – and Toledo Opera audience favorites – Zach Borichevsky and Kathryn Lewek star as Romeo and Juliet. Maestro Adam Turner returns to Toledo to conduct as director James Mitchell brings this timeless tragedy to life.
Sung in French with English Supertitles
“Ragtime” (Semi-Staged) by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens
April 19 & 21, 2024
Valentine Theatre
Nominated for 13 Tony Awards including “Best Musical,” and winning for “Best Original Score” and “Best Book of a Musical,” “Ragtime” makes its premiere to Toledo Opera audiences.
Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, this musical tapestry depicts an African-American family, a Jewish family, and a wealthy white suburban family in turn-of-the-20th century New York. As they collide in pursuit of the American Dream, they discover the surprising interconnections of the human heart, the limitations of justice, and the unsettling consequences when dreams are permanently deferred.
“Ragtime” is a powerful portrait of life at the turn-of-the-20th century, exploring America’s timeless contradictions of freedom and prejudice, wealth and poverty, hope and despair. Ragtime stars baritone Derrick Davis (Toledo Opera’s I Dream) as Coalhouse Walker, Jr., Broadway soprano Raquel Suarez Groen as Mother, and baritone Joshua Jeremiah as Tateh. J. Ernest Green returns to Toledo to conduct, as James M. Norman brings this poignant musical to life.
Sung in English with English Supertitles
