University Opera presents: La Cenerentola
Shannon Hall
Purchase tickets
General public: $35
Seniors: $30
Students: $10
Friday, November 6 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 8 at 2 pm
Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30 pm
Music by: Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by: Jacopo Ferretti
Director: David Ronis
Conductor: Oriol Sans
La Cenerentola, Rossini’s version of the Cinderella story, features a sublime score filled with memorable tunes and requires a cast capable of bravura singing. Of course, we all know the story: a young girl is forced to serve as a maid in her own home. Her family is cruel to her and treats her like a servant. But along comes a Prince and, with some supernatural help, she wins his heart.
This version is somewhat different from Disney’s, but the net effect is the same. Instead of a stepmother, we have Don Magnifico, Cenerentola’s stepfather. Instead of a fairy godmother with supernatural powers, we have Alidoro, the Prince’s teacher/mentor/philosopher. The Prince’s valet, Dandini, also figures largely in the plot when he and the Prince trade clothes to extremely comic effect. Finally, instead of Cenerentola losing a slipper on the steps of the palace, she actually gives the Prince one of two identical bracelets to use in order to ultimately find her.
The UW–Madison production transports the setting to southern California in the early 1960s, where surfer bums proliferate, bouffant hairdos rule, and the Prince is a quasi-rock star figure. This will be a family-friendly production certain to delight.