Photos: Chanáe Curtis and Darren Drone Lead Verdi's FALSTAFF At Opera San Jose

Women take charge in Opera San José's rollicking production of Verdi's Falstaff. Adapted from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, this hilarious and beloved comedic masterpiece offers a joyful look at one of the Bard's most popular characters, the boisterous knight Sir John Falstaff, and his misadventures at the hands of four witty women.

The classic production will feature notable role debuts by some of America's leading new voices. Stage direction is by José Maria Condemi, Director of Opera and Musical Theatre at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and OSJ Music Director Joseph Marcheso conducts.

Casting includes Darren Drone as Falstaff, Chanáe Curtis as Alice Ford, Natalia Santaliz as Nanetta, Megan Esther Grey as Dame Quickly, Eugene Brancoveanu as Ford, Shanley Horvitz as Meg Page, Jonghyun Park as Fenton, Marc Molomot as Bardolfo, Andrew Allan Hiers as Pistola, and Zhengyi Bai as Dr. Caius.

Falstaff will be sung in Italian, with English and Spanish supertitles, with performances from February 11-26, 2023 (dates/times below) at the California Theatre, 345 South First Street, San Jose. For more information or to purchase tickets* ($55-$195), the public can visit operasj.org or call (408) 437-4450 (open Monday through Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm).

Over the six decades of his career, Giuseppe Verdi (1813­-1901) composed 28 operas, many of which are at the core of today's repertoire. Verdi's final work for the stage, Falstaff made its World Premiere at Milan's Teatro alla Scala in 1893 and has gone on to become one of the greatest operatic comedies of all time, a work bursting with humor, genuine emotion, freshness, and vivid originality.

The creative team for this production includes Joseph Marcheso (Conductor), José Maria Condemi (Director), Steven C. Kemp (Scenic Designer), David Cuthbert (Lighting Designer), Suzanne Mess(Costume Design), Christina Martin (Hair & Makeup Design), Johannes Löhner (Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master), and Tara Branham (Assistant Director).