WHAT better operatic tale to tell on Valentine’s weekend than one of unrequited love?
Swansea City Opera return to the Lawrence Batley Theatre on February 15 with Donizetti’s comic opera, The Elixir Of Love.
This tale of a shy young farmer and his passion for a beautiful landowner was first seen in the romantic surroundings of Milan more than 150 years ago.
But the Swansea company has updated the 1830s opera, bringing it into the 1920s and staging it in the strangely beautiful surroundings of Portmeirion in North Wales, setting for the famous TV series The Prisoner which starred Patrick McGoohan.
The setting is down to designer Gary McCann who was inspired by a visit to Porthmeirion, designed by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis who described the village as his light opera approach to architecture.
The elixir of the opera’s title is a potion that the hapless Nemorino buys from a quack doctor in his bid to win the heart of a wealthy lady. The potion may not be packed with goodness, but the opera itself is brimming with fun and with tunes.
The best-known aria, much loved by tenors, is Una furtive lagrima, the piece said to have helped Luciano Pavarotti make his name.
The production, which will be sung in English, features a cast of six and is at the LBT for one night. The Sunday night performance begins at 7.30pm. Box office is on 01484 430528.
