ELIXIR OF LOVE Brings 80's Nostalgia to Center Stage Opera

Back by popular demand, Center Stage Opera presents a rad, 1980s-themed fully-staged production of Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” at Reseda High School’s 1200 seat Performing Arts Center. Performed with the acclaimed Center Stage Opera Orchestra, conducted by CSO Music Director Mercedes Musotto, Director Dylan F. Thomas re-envisions Donizetti’s traditional opera to take place on a San Fernando Valley high school campus in 1985 – and what better venue for that than an actual Valley high school campus?! This will be the third time the company has mounted this bitchin' production, the first two being presented in 2007 and 2013. 

The original story of “Elixir” lends itself perfectly to the stereotypical teen comedy stories of the '80s. In this opera, Adina becomes the popular head cheerleader, Giannetta is her slutty best friend, Belcore is the studly football quarterback, Nemorino is the geeky mascot (who goes from, like, totally geek, to totally chic), and Dulcamara is the sleazy substitute teacher peddling performance-enhancing drugs to the students. Nemorino is in love with Adina (who isn’t?) but, of course, she is totally out of his league… or is she?       

This production will be the first for CSO's new Music Director Mercedes Juan Musotto. Ms. Musotto is originally from Argentina, coming to the Los Angeles area in 2013, and earning her Masters degree at CSUN. Center Stage Opera has always been committed to expanding opportunities for women and minorities, and is proud to have a strong female conducting team in Ms. Musotto and Assistant Conductor, Brooke DeRosa, as well as an all-female stage management team, and a female set designer. 

This production also marks the inauguration of CSO's major initiative to reach out to the vast Spanish-speaking community of the Valley and, indeed, all of Los Angeles. In addition to distributing publicity written in both Spanish and English for this production, they will also be projecting the supertitle translation of the opera’s libretto in both English and Spanish… both complete with totally righteous '80s slang! This will be a major step toward bringing the Spanish-speaking community into the operatic genre, which has typically been thought of as an entertainment meant only for stuffy, rich white people. Center Stage Opera is working to prove this stereotype wrong in every way. 

"The Elixir of Love" features a return to the stage for Center Stage Opera's Co-Artistic Director, Shira Renee Thomas, after a nearly four year hiatus during which she had a baby, and underwent the extreme treatment of Electroconvulsive Therapy to battle a severe and life-threatening Depression. Ms. Thomas has chosen to be open about her struggle with the illness, stating that "Depression is quite prominent among performers, though it is often times the 'dirty little secret' that no one talks about. It is my hope that being open and honest about this mental illness which affects over 43 million Americans will help other sufferers to feel emboldened to keep fighting, and to continue following their dreams. Performing this role at this time is my way of showing that there is hope!"

This special engagement features a truly diverse and exceptional cast, including artists who have performed with LA Opera, Pacific Symphony, Opera San Jose, and Utah Festival Opera, as well as two very gifted high school students who will sing in the chorus as part of CSO's commitment to education through experience. Through the  company's Opera Tree program, CSO also brings students and their families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to the production at little or no cost to them. For more information, press interviews or to purchase tickets, see contact information below.

ABOUT CENTER STAGE OPERA

Center Stage Opera, The Valley's professional opera company, has won accolades from audience members and critics alike for their operatic and Broadway productions. Reviewer Jonathan Weichsel summed up the critical and audience response CSO has consistently received: "Center Stage Opera is truly one of the gems of the Valley." CSO is dedicated to community service and education as well, and especially to bringing quality music performances to those who are economically disadvantaged. To this end, The Opera Tree was established as the community service arm of the company. CSO's current season (the company's 13th) will include Dylan F. Thomas' original production of Donizetti's The Elixir Of Love and "The Best Of Broadway - The Classics", both featuring the Center Stage Opera Orchestra, as well as the 5th Annual Center Stage Opera Vocal Competition Finals Concert. For more information and tickets, go to centerstageopera.org, or call 818-517-4102.

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