Toledo Opera Presents Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci

A wayward wife, a jealous husband and an acting troupe whose plays mimic real life. Toledo Opera presents Leoncavallo’s operatic masterpiece Pagliacci on Saturday April 1st and Friday April 7th at 7:30 pm, as well as on Sunday the 9th, 2 pm at the Valentine Theatre in downtown Toledo.

On stage, the clown in the footlights makes others laugh, but his own heart is breaking because his young actress wife is involved with another man. Witness their world collapse around them as the drama unfolds. There are no winners. Leoncavallo’s lush music and the familiar story of the sad clown are the essence of tragedy.

Playing the doomed couple will be soprano Barbara Shirvis as Nedda and tenor Roy Cornelius Smith as Canio. Ms. Shirvis’s recent operatic engagements include performances with the New York City Opera as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Micaëla in Carmen, Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men with Edmonton Opera, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Bardovan Opera House, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Syracuse Opera and Berkshire Opera. Roy Cornelius Smith has been heard on some of the world’s great operatic stages including those of the Metropolitan Opera, Salzburger Festpiele, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the New Israeli Opera. Recent engagements at the Metropolitan Opera include the roles of the Messenger in Aida and Heinrich in Tannhäuser. 

Nedda’s lover, Silvio, will be played by baritone Daniel Sutin. His recent engagements include a debut at the Canadian Opera Company as Conte di Luna in Il trovatore, his return to the Metropolitan Opera for Turandot, Tonio and Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci for the Bohème Opera in New Jersey, and the roles of the King and Ambassador in the Spoleto Festival USA’s production of Respighi’s Sleeping Beauty. 

Rounding out the cast will be baritone Thomas Todd as the hunchback Tonio and tenor  Matt Morgan as Beppe. A seasoned performer, Mr. Todd Thomas established himself as a Verdi baritone early in his career in Germany’s Stadttheater Giessen followed by engagements throughout major cities in Europe. His repertoire includes title roles in Macbeth, Falstaff, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida, La traviata, Otello, Tosca, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Fanciulla del West, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.

Mr. Morgan recently joined the roster of New York City Opera for Haroun and Platée, Capriccio, Il viaggio a Reims and The Little Prince.  Other engagements include the roles of Laurie in Little Women with Dayton Opera, Paris in La belle Hélène with North Star Opera, Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Fort Worth Opera, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado with Pittsburgh Public Theater, and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Opera Atelier.

After the opera, ticket-holders are invited to meet the stars at an Italian party in the lobby of the Valentine Theatre complete with delicious Italian finger-foods. A great performance followed by festivity and fun make this an excellent opera for first-timers and kids!

Pagliacci will be sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage. The Valentine Theatre is wheelchair accessible with parking across the street at a nominal fee.