Photos: PAGLIACCI Now Playing at Opera Festival of Chicago

The Opera Festival of Chicago final production in its fifth season is Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, directed by Sasha Gerritson, conducted by Uff. See photos here!

Emanuele Andrizzi with a cast of more than 50 performers and a 40-piece orchestra. Performances are Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 29 at 2 p.m. at the George Van Dusen Theatre.

The 2025 season concludes with one of the pillars of Italian opera and one of the most passionate dramas of all times, Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo. Sung in Italian, Pagliacci follows the story of a troupe of actors led by Canio and his unfaithful wife Nedda and features the famous aria “Vesti la giubba.” Love triangles, heartbreaks, betrayal and violent verismo vendettas erupt on stage, where art imitates life in this tragic masterpiece.

In addition, the Opera Festival of Chicago will host two pre-show talks featuring WFMT Music Director and host of “Listening to Singers” Oliver Camacho. The two, free special events are being held, Friday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 29 at 1 p.m., at the George Van Dusen Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie, immediately before that day's Pagliacci performance.
Camacho will discuss the evolution of Italian opera — from a showcase of technical feats of the human voice to a provocative spectacle that turned a mirror on the audience; and how Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci put a shocking story ripped from the headlines on the stage. 

Photo credit: Jacob B. Little  

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