PORT ANGELES — It’s a comedy of operatic proportions: “Falstaff,” Verdi’s epic of one big knight and the women who deliver his comeuppance, will be shown live in Port Angeles and Port Townsend at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
From the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the production is to arrive at the Naval Elks Ballroom, 131 E. First St.
Based on Shakespeare’s comic “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” the Met’s “Falstaff” has been updated. Originally set in the early 15th century, it’s staged this time in the 1950s, with the story’s classic four identical seduction letters, a larger-than-life kitchen and a laundry basket as Falstaff’s hiding place.
As they have done all season, the nonprofit Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts and Ghostlight Productions will host the Met’s Live in HD event in Port Angeles. The same simulcast will be shown at the same time at the for-profit Rose Theatre in Port Townsend.
“Anyone who loves Shakespeare, foreign films, great classical music or live theater will have a fabulous time at this opera,” said JFFA Executive Director Kyle LeMaire.
“It’s really a comic masterpiece,” he said, adding that, during the three-hour show, beverages and baked treats will be available.
Tickets prices range from $18 for seniors to $24 for adults and $14 for students and children at both venues.
Tickets for the Port Angeles show can be purchased at JFFA.org and at the door, while more information can be had by calling the foundation office at 360-457-5411.
Tickets for the Port Townsend show can be purchased on the Rose Theatre’s website at rosetheatre.com.
“Falstaff” is sung in Italian with English subtitles. During its one intermission, patrons will have a chance to watch behind-the-scenes content and Ryan Speedo Green’s interviews with the cast.
The performers are a cosmopolitan bunch. Baritone Michael Volle from Freudenstadt, Germany, has the title role while Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux sings Mistress Quickly. The cast also includes soprano Ailyn Pérez of Chicago as Alice Ford; mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano of St. Louis, Mo., as Meg Page; and Hera Hyesang Park, a soprano from Seoul, South Korea, as Nannetta.
Tenor Bogdan Volkov of Torez, Ukraine, portrays Fenton, while baritone Christopher Maltman plays Ford. Daniele Rustioni of Milan, Italy, is “Falstaff’s” conductor.
The Live at the Met series will go on to simulcast Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” at the Elks ballroom on Saturday, April 15, and Terence Blanchard’s “Champion” on April 29. Then come two Mozart operas, “Don Giovanni” on May 20 and “Die Zauberflöte” on June 3.
For more information about these events and other JFFA events, including the 30th anniversary Juan de Fuca Festival in May, see JFFA.org.
For more about the Rose Theatre, see rosetheatre.com.
