A night at the opera: Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Seviglia

Every young girl wants to believe in a fairy tale ending, a concept that Hollywood has not only over-commercialized but stereotyped into an almost generic formula. Thus it was with heart-rending pleasure that I found myself transported back to my childhood notions of make-believe in Il Barbiere di Seviglia at the Teatro Real in Madrid whilst reveling in Rossini’s farcical melodramma buffo.
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Pop Up Opera’s Rita/La Serva Padrona at The Sun Tavern

For their latest production, Pop Up Opera has really pushed the boat out. The company, who already perform in boats, barns and garlic farms, aren’t doing two operas back to back; instead, they have intertwined Donizetti’s ‘Rita’ with Pergolesi’s ‘La Serva Padrona’ or ‘The servant turned mistress’. Continue reading “Pop Up Opera’s Rita/La Serva Padrona at The Sun Tavern”

Pop-Up Opera’s Don Pasquale at The Sun Tavern

Pop-Up Opera’s Don Pasquale is a production that bursts with life, reflective of both the tensions and excitement of the libretto, and of the energy of Donizetti’s composition. What allows this particular production to really stand out is the fact that Pop-Up Opera, founded in 2011 by Clementine Lovell, brings the characters and their relationships clambering into the modern day with great comic touches that underscore the tensions between the characters on stage. Continue reading “Pop-Up Opera’s Don Pasquale at The Sun Tavern”