By TOLEDO OPERA
Toledo Opera will present Gioachino Rossini’s “Cinderella (La Cenerentola)” on Friday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. at the Valentine Theatre, 400 North Superior, Toledo.
Performed by Toledo Opera for the first time, this production boasts a star-studded cast and a world-class creative team. Toledo Opera will also host a free Pre-Opera Talk one hour before each show in the Grand Lobby of the Valentine Theatre. Local scholars provide historical context and insight and are available to take questions after the talk.
First performed in 1817 at the Teatro Valle in Rome, Italy Cinderella is a comedic opera widely regarded as containing some of Rossini’s finest writing for solo voice and ensembles.
Following its premiere, “Cinderella” soon overshadowed Rossini’s earlier work (“The Barber of Seville”), throughout the nineteenth century. 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.
With 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, tenor David Walton as Prince Ramiro, and Bowling Green State University voice professor Keith Phares as Count Dandini. Michelle Rofrano conducts Rossini’s sparkling score as director Marc Verzatt brings this enchanting story to life. “Cinderella” will be sung in Italian with English supertitles.
Rising star on both the operatic and concert stages, Sarah Coit makes her Toledo Opera debut as Angelina. She is praised for her “burnished mezzo-soprano” and her “aptitude for physical comedy,” (Opera News). Ms. Coit has a bright future and has already enjoyed a national career as an acclaimed mezzo-soprano. Ms. Coit is joined by tenor David Walton as Prince Ramiro.
Praised for his “clean, clear voice,” Mr. Walton dazzles stages across the country to crucial acclaim as “the sweetest singing of the evening.” Of his portrayal of Prince Ramiro in Virginia Opera’s production of Cinderella, Mr. Walton was lauded as “a handsome prince and a fine singer whose vocal quality was smooth, lyrical and capable of scaling the heights,” (The Virginia Pilot).
Coit and Walton’s fellow leads – Grammy award winning baritone Adelmo Guidarelli as Angelina’s evil stepfather, Don Magnifico; baritone Keith Phares as Count Dandini; and baritone Jason Budd as Alidoro– bring international musical prowess of their own, with past performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Seattle Opera, the New York City Opera, Central City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Ohio Light Opera, São Paolo Symphony Orchestra, among many others.
This ensemble of seven is rounded out by soprano and Toledo Opera Resident Artist Sara Mortensen (Clorinda) and mezzo-soprano and Toledo Opera Resident Artist Imara Miles (Tisbe).
“We are pleased to begin our new opera season with this charming story so beloved by many and yet, rarely performed as an opera. I believe our audiences will see Cinderella in a new light in this Rossini version. We can’t wait to share it with everyone,” shared Toledo Opera Executive Director Suzanne Rorick.
Toledo Opera will perform “Cinderella” at the Valentine Theatre on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. To learn more about “Cinderella” cast and production team and to buy tickets, visit: toledoopera.org.
“Cinderella” is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Key Bank Trustee Walter E. Terhune Memorial Fund.
