IL TROVATORE and More Set for New Jersey Lyric Opera Festival
The lineup will also feature The Pearl Fishers, Romeo and Juliet, and The Barber of Seville.
New Jersey Lyric Opera will return to Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre for the fourth consecutive year with a weekend of opera favorites on Mercer County Community College's West Windsor Campus, Aug. 28-30, during the Summer Opera Festival.
The festival weekend features presentations by talented artists from the tri-state region and beyond for a quartet of classics, including Il Trovatore, The Pearl Fishers, Romeo and Juliet, and The Barber of Seville.
The opera weekend kicks off Friday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. with Il Trovatore, the story of a passionate love triangle with a mysterious curse and a shocking ending, featuring the famous “Anvil Chorus.” The performance features Carl Hengen, Chaka Allen of Chicago; Holly Gash of Yardley, Pa.; Alyssa Brode of Chesterbrook, Pa.; and Timothy Kjer.
Day two of the festival begins on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. with The Pearl Fishers, an immersive summer ocean story where two mens' vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the soon to be priestess, Leila, featuring the famous Pearl Fisher duet and glimmering soprano arias. Eve Edwards of Schwenksville, Pa.; John Villemaire of Lawrence Township, N.J., Cruz Roger Romero of Lakewood, N.J.; and Ian Joyal are featured.
The second day of the festival continues with Romeo and Juliet, Gounod's telling of Shakespeare's masterpiece of star-crossed love, featuring a stellar cast that includes Samual Keeler of Philadelphia; Natasha Scheuble; Timothy Kjer; Chaka Allen; Alicia Melendez; Ian Joyal; Shannon Lally; Leo Leuci; Cruz Roger Romero of Lakewood, N.J.; Drew Russell Duboff of Cherry Hill, N.J.; Michael Serra; Jenna Simm; and Rebecca Shimer.
The festival concludes on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. with a new, fun, laugh-out-loud comedy of Rossini's The Barber of Seville, featuring the famous Figaro aria in a hilarious staging of an opera classic. Featured performers include Devin McGuire, John Villemaire, Chaka Allen, Brittany Morgan,Tristan Cano, Timothy Kjer, Rebecca Shimer of Norristown, Pa., Tim Faulkner of Ewing, N.J., Ian Joyal, Devin McGuire, Sarah Joseph, and Olympia Raine Calkins. Tickets are $28 per event or $100 for all four, and may be purchased now.
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Frozen Algonquin Arts Theatre (12/05-12/20) |
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Gil Shaham Plays Dvořák New Jersey Performing Arts Center (2/18-2/18) |
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in Concert New Jersey Performing Arts Center (2/27-2/27) |
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The Stylistics: An Unforgettable Night of Soul Wilkins Theatre (10/04-10/04) |
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Xian Zhang Conducts Mozart New Jersey Performing Arts Center (4/04-4/04) |
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Neruda Songs and Poulenc's Gloria New Jersey Performing Arts Center (4/17-4/17) |
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Merry, Merry Mischief: Holiday Classics The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (12/19-12/19) |
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Auditions for "X" Nutley Little Theatre (9/13-9/14) |
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in Concert Count Basie Center for the Arts (2/26-2/26) |
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Murder for Two: The Holiday Edition Robert Shackleton Playhouse (11/18-12/27) |