Who will get the last laugh?
Falstaff, Verdi’s enduringly popular final masterpiece, recounts the misdeeds of drunken, absurdly vain, formerly thin knight Sir John Falstaff, plucked straight from Shakespeare’s plays. He’s fallen on hard times and, while drinking at an inn, announces his plans to pay off his debts by wooing not one, but two wealthy, married women: Alice Ford and Meg Page. But after he dashes off identical letters to each, they quickly discover his scheme and vow revenge. And as Falstaff—along with the rest of the men in this joyously life-affirming comedy—soon learns, he’s deeply outmatched by the women. With quick scene changes and a large wooden set, this iconic production perfectly captures the feel of an Elizabethan play. The stellar cast features four beloved HGO Studio alumni: baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. as Falstaff, soprano Nicole Heaston as Alice, baritone Blake Denson as her husband Ford, and soprano Andrea Carroll as the young Nannetta. Paula Suozzi creates a new staging of the original production, and Maestro Patrick Summers conducts.
A Production of Los Angeles Opera