IL VIAGGIO A RIEMS Set for Baxter, Now thru 30 August

Flirtation, obsession and panic makes waiting in transit not to be missed entertainment! Cape Town Opera and the UCT Opera School are proud to present the restaging of Rossini's critically acclaimed zany comic opera IL VIAGGIO A REIMS (The Journey to Reims) from 26 to 30 August for five performances only. This not-to-be-missed exuberant comedy with its glorious music returns to the Baxter Theatre where it played to full houses and received standing ovations in 2010.

Set in a chic airport hotel lobby, fourteen fashion-loving B-list celebrities each suffering from a different extreme obsession find themselves stranded en route to a coronation. While waiting in transit, this interesting motley of self-styled European celebrities including a fashion crazed Parisian, a German music lover, a Russian Count and a famous Italian singer turn boredom and frustration into a highly entertaining melee as their on-going obsessions and flirtations - some edged with a tipple of alcohol - unfolds into arguments and fights that lead to panic attacks and even the odd fainting spell! Never before has the boredom of waiting in transit been more nuanced and entertaining than in this not-to-be missed comic opera.

Members of the Cape Town Opera Studio and students from the UCT Opera School make an enthusiastic and multi-talented cast who are keenly working with the show's creative team that comprises of director, Matthew Wild (THE RAKE'S PROGRESS, TROUBLE IN TAHITI, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW); conductor, Kamal Khan; set and costume designer, Leopold Senekal; and lighting designer, Kobus Rossouw (MADAMA BUTTERFLY, LA TRAVIATA, DON GIOVANNI). Award-winning choreographer, Sean Bovim (PORGY AND BESS, TANGO NIGHTS, QUEEN AT THE BALLET) has previously choreographed three productions for the UCT Opera School and he welcomes the opportunity to continue working with its students and Cape Town Opera in IL VIAGGIO A REIMS.

For the past fifteen years Cape Town Opera has and continues to play a major role in the upliftment, education, training and development of many young singers and students that has led to them performing on local and international stages. On many occasions, Cape Town Opera has collaborated with UCT Opera School in major productions such as IL VIAGGIO A REIMS to give students a platform to showcase and grow their talents. They flirt, they fight, they obsess, they panic, they swap partners and pose for cameras as IL VIAGGIO A REIMS takes you on an entertaining journey to Reims that connects Rossini's loveable but self-indulgent nobles with modern day film stars, sporting heroes, singers and politicians.

See IL VIAGGIO A REIMS on stage at the Baxter Theatre from tonight, 26 August to Friday, 29 August 2014 at 7:30 pm or at the final performance on Saturday, 30 August at 6pm. Tickets priced at R 140 and R190 are on sale at Computicket. For further information visit www.capetownopera.co.za.