Pagliacci at Opera Festival of Chicago

The Opera Festival of Chicago presents Pagliacci, Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. and 

Sunday, June 29 at 2 p.m. at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd.

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.

The cast of Pagliacci includes Michelle Allie Drever (Nedda); Jonathan Burton (Canio); Franco Pomponi (Tonio); Jerek Fernández (Peppe) and Jonathan Wilson (Silvio).

“The 2025 Festival, our fifth season, is going to be a season of celebration here at the Opera Festival of Chicago. This organization began forging its path in the opera world in 2021 with the mission of presenting Italian opera masterworks that rarely-if ever- grace the stage in the United States,” said General Director Sasha Gerritson. “These fully staged productions featured star-studded casts and have included several United States and Chicago premieres. We look forward to welcoming audiences from all over the Chicagoland area to this year’s season, which is based on a powerful theme, “Love is a Triangle,” and continues our mission in 2025 with concerts and two Italian masterworks.”

Tickets are $25 - $50 with subscriptions available at OperaFestivalChicago.org.

Authors

• Ruggiero Leoncavallo