THEATRE + COMEDY

Opera's famous barber visits Miller for two performances - May 18 -19 at 8PM! HGO presents Rossini's madcap comedy The Barber of Seville featuring artists from HGO Studio as well as the HGO Orchestra and Chorus. Watch the sun set and the rising stars of Houston Grand Opera Studio come out and perform Rossini’s comic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville, at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

The effervescent overture (made famous by Bugs Bunny) provides a perfect platform for the amusing plot in which our wily barber, Figaro, sung by Mark Diamond, comes to the aid of his former master, Count Almaviva, (Brendan Tuohy). The handsome Count is deliriously in love with the ravishing young Rosina (Lauren Snouffer) and wants to marry her. The chief obstacle he has to overcome is Rosina’s aged guardian, Dr.Bartolo (guest artist Steven Condy), who is determined to marry her himself!

Conductor Craig Kier will lead the HGO Orchestra and Chorus. Richard Bado is HGO’s chorus master.

This new production, directed by Barcelona-based Joan Font and designed by Joan Guillén, was first staged as part of HGO’s mainstage season in October 2011.

Opera News said, “It was a triumphant performance. The production deserves praise not only for maximizing the musical/comic possibilities but for imaginatively renewing a canonic work.”

The score is full of lovely melodies and breathtaking ensembles. Each singer has his or her own “musical clothing”——in particular, our mercurial barber sings one of the great show-stopping arias, “Largo al factotum.” And nearly 200 years after its premiere, The Barber of Seville is still one of the most exhilarating and enjoyable operas ever written.

Revel in the music, laugh at the shenanigans, and be transported by the beautiful singing. The Barber of Seville is a treat, whether it’s your first taste of opera or your favorite indulgence.

Did you know?

• HGO has performed at Miller Outdoor Theatre on a regular basis since 1957.
• The Barber of Seville was completed in thirteen days.
• Music from The Barber of Seville has been featured in movies such as Babe: The Pig in the City, Deep Impact, Jumanji, Space Jam, and Under the Tuscan Sun, and in an award-winning Nike commercial.
• The Barber of Seville is based on part one of the Figaro trilogy written by French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais. All three plays -—The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother—satirize the hypocrisy and power of the aristocracy.