Rita
Donizetti
21, 25, 28 November 2016
The Rising Sun / Shakespeare's / Sentinel Brewing Co. / Blue Moon Cafe / The Red Deer
Sung in English
In collaboration with the Year of Making and Abbeydale Brewery, Opera on Location present Donizetti's Rita.
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Join Rita, a somewhat tyrannical landlady and her long suffering second husband Beppe. Unaware of the strange course the day will take, the couple go about their business when Gasparo, comes to the pub looking for information about Rita. Gasparo finds Beppe first and reveals himself to be Rita's long-presumed-dead first husband. He is in need of Rita's death certificate as he is certain she died in the fire that many believed claimed his life as well.
Beppe, upon realising that the two are still married, is overjoyed that his marriage is now void and he can leave Rita without having to pay for a divorce or in his own words 'her funeral!' Rita finds the two men chatting and realises what Gasparo's reappearance could mean for her. She knows that in her first marriage she was often mistreated and had no power which is why she now dominates Beppe, to remain the head of the household.
As the three come together, each of them wanting a different outcome from Gasparo's 'resurrection', a battle of wits commences, but who will be victorious?
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Set to the upbeat, catchy melodies of Donizetti, best known for The Elixir of Love and Lucia di Lammermoor, this 50-minute comic opera sung in English fits perfectly into a lunch hour or is a great way to break up the monotonous journey home.
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This project was made possible thanks to funding by Sheffield year of Making.
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Gaetano Donizetti
1797-1848
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Donizetti wrote 73 operas in total and along with Bellini and Rossini is one of the pioneers of bel canto opera style of the 19th century. Donizetti was born in Lombardy and although he didn’t come from a musical background was soon taken under the wing of Simon Mayr, a composer who then enrolled him in his own school for music. Known for his brilliant melodies and often fast moving passages many of Donizetti’s works are often performed today including L’elisir d’amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Fille du régiment and Don Pasquale.
Locations: An opera pub-crawl
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The Rising Sun, Abbey Lane, Sheffield S11 9ND
Shakespeare's, Gibraltar Street, Sheffield S3 8UB
Sentinel Brewing Co., 178 Shoreham Street, Sheffield S1 4SQ
Blue Moon Cafe, 2 St James' Street, Sheffield S1 2EW
The Red Deer, 18 Pitt Street, Sheffield S1 4DD
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