L'elisir d'amore

Academy of Vocal Arts opens its 92nd season with L'elisir d'amore, Gaetano Donizetti's romantic comedy, starting November 7 at the Helen Corning Warden Theater. It's a story about Nemorino, a young man hopelessly smitten with the independent Adina, who turns to a traveling quack's love potion that turns out to be cheap wine, sparking a comedy of misunderstandings. The opera premiered at Milan's Teatro della Canobbiana in 1832 and has remained one of the most popular in Italy and a staple of the international repertoire ever since.

This production brings the action home to Philadelphia during the 1876 Centennial celebrations, with City Hall still under construction and the quack doctor Dulcamara dressed as Uncle Sam. The set, by resident designer Cameron Anderson, places the action on a construction site of stone blocks, wooden scaffolding, and red, white, and blue bunting, peopled by the workers, socialites, veterans, immigrants, and opportunists of the era. The music is by Donizetti, with a libretto by Felice Romani, conducted by Steven White and directed by Damon Nestor Ploumis, an AVA alumnus who called the opera fundamental to his development as a singer and stage director.

There are several ways to catch it. The season kicks off with an Opening Night Celebration on November 7 at 5 PM, followed by performances at the Helen Corning Warden Theater (1920 Spruce St) on November 10, 12, and 14, all at 7:30 PM. From there, the production hits the road: November 20 at 6 PM at the Delaware Valley University Life Sciences Building in Doylestown; November 22 at 4 PM at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University in Bethlehem; and December 1 at 7:30 PM at Centennial Hall at The Haverford School in Haverford.

Tickets for the Philadelphia performances are $107 for premium reserved seating and $72 for general admission. The Doylestown show is $150 for premium reserved and $57 for general admission, while Bethlehem is $20 general admission. For the Haverford performance, it's $107 premium reserved, $72 general admission, $25 for Young Professionals ages 45 and under, and $10 for students. The Opening Night Gala premium reserved seating is $750.