Verdi’s first comedy is a maze of mistaken identities and love triangles. King for a Day the debut of Verdi at The Barns!

Approximate running time: 2.5 hours
Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Free Inside the Opera  talk one hour before curtain.

A double wedding is about to take place at the house of a rich French Baron. He’s marrying off his daughter to a finance minister and his niece to a Count. Both young ladies are unhappy about these arrangements, for they are in love with two other men.

Invited to this wedding is King Stanislaus of Poland. But the actual King (whose reign has been challenged in the wars of Polish succession) is traveling to Poland to reclaim the throne. In order to capitalize on the surprise factor back in Warsaw, a French officer (Belfiore) has been assigned to impersonate him at the wedding. On the same day the real king is attempting to regain his throne, the false king is maneuvering to block the arranged marriages.

The false King (Belfiore in disguise) is actually the young man with whom the Baron’s daughter is in love. Two love triangles, some bribes, and more subterfuge are all we need to propel the story along. Belfiore manages to untangle it all, and—decidedly entrenched in the mid-19^th century comic tradition—all ends happily.

Cast Belfiore – Liam Bonner Barone Kelbar – Ryan McKinny Marchesa – Tamara Wilson Giulietta – Marjorie Owens Edoardo – Beau Gibson La Rocca – Joshua Jeremiah Conte Ivrea – Diego Torre Delmonte – Dominic Armstrong Chorus – The Wolf Trap Opera Studio

Production Conductor – Brian Garman Director – Kristine McIntyre Scenic Design – Erhard Rom Costume Design – Carol Bailey Lighting Design – Robert H. Grimes Hair & Makeup Design – Jeffrey Frank / Elsen Associates Chorusmaster – Eric Melear Principal Coach – Miah Im Italian Coach – Franca Gorraz Production Stage Manager – Sean Corcoran

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