THE ELIXIR OF LOVE: A FRESH SQUEEZED TWIST
THE ELIXIR OF LOVE: A FRESH SQUEEZED TWIST ON DONIZETTI’S COMEDY
After opening its 61st season last month with a much-celebrated staging of the world’s first mariachi opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, Minnesota Opera will next present a fresh, new production of Donizetti’s heartwarming comedy, The Elixir of Love. The opera opens on Saturday, January 27 and runs through Sunday, February 4 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Saint Paul.
In the original, The Elixir of Love tells the endearing story of Nemorino, a young villager who falls in love with the beautiful Adina. Unable to catch Adina’s attention, Nemorino turns to Dr. Dulcamara, a traveling purveyor of miracle cures and powerful potions. Among Dr. Dulcamara’s tinctures is a secret love potion he promises will help Nemorino win over Adina’s heart. He drinks every last drop of the unusually zesty “elixir,” that of the California orange, and hilarity ensues over Donizetti’s bubbly score.
An act of sanity while the industry was shutting down
Stage Director Daniel Ellis and his team of creatives developed the concept that eventually became this production as an act of sanity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Elixir became the artistic outlet that we all needed and desired,” said Ellis. “Every idea was just as important as everybody else’s. Collaboration became the key. It was the music and the idea of working together on this piece that kept us going.”
Working over Zoom with Set Designer Jaime Mejia, Costume Designer Angela M. Kahler, and Lighting Designer Cheri Prough DeVol, Ellis and his team pieced together a concept for a production of The Elixir of Love that places the story in a Southern California orange grove during the early 20th century (unlike the original, which takes place in the Basque region of Spain) and draws on histories of migrant workers, women’s suffrage, and the birth of modern advertising – specifically Albert Lasker’s “Drink an orange!” campaign, which is credited with transforming the commercial citrus industry by inventing orange juice and positioning it as a healthy breakfast staple. There are some clear parallels with Donizetti’s original romantic comedy and the team sought to explore those, specifically how clever, self-serving marketing tactics can sow and capitalize on self-doubt and insecurity.
An award-winner, brought to life on the Ordway stage
The team showcased their concept at the 2021 OPERA America conference, which MN Opera hosted in Minneapolis and was met with a warm reception, winning the Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize, which recognizes ingenuity in bringing operatic works to life for contemporary audiences. MN Opera announced the production as part of the 2023-2024 season, making it the first Tobin Prize winner to be fully produced on this scale.
Tickets for The Elixir of Love are on sale now and are available!