SU Opera Theater to present Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘The Gondoliers’

Monday, January 9, 2012, By Erica Blust

The Syracuse University Opera Theater will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Gondoliers” Jan. 27, 28 and 29 at 8 p.m. in the Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium, Crouse College. Admission is free for SU students with a valid SU I.D.; tickets for the general public are $10 at the door. Free parking is available in the Irving Garage; patrons should mention that they are attending the event.

“The Gondoliers” is produced and directed by Eric Johnson, faculty member in the Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music in the (VPA). The production will be staged with a full, all-student orchestra conducted by James O. Welsch, also a faculty member in the Setnor School.

Premiered in 1889, “The Gondoliers” features one of Arthur Sullivan’s finest scores and is a perennial favorite among fans of light opera. The plot is a classic example of W.S. Gilbert’s “topsy-turvy” style of social satire: two Venetian gondoliers, assumed to be brothers, have just married their sweethearts when it is revealed that one of them—though nobody is quite sure which—is actually the heir to the throne of the island kingdom of Barataria and was married in infancy to the daughter of the penniless Duke of Plaza-Toro. She is, in turn, in love with her father’s servant Luiz. The brothers are whisked off to Barataria to rule jointly, and there they institute a “monarchy based on republican principles.” Just when the plot has become impossibly complicated, the king’s surprise identity is revealed, to general rejoicing.

The student cast, featuring Setnor School of Music senior voice performance major Rachel Boucher as Gianetta, will be joined by music education alumna Shannon Garvey G’07 as the Duchess of Plaza-Toro and will feature Setnor faculty member Carolyn Weber in the crucial cameo role of Inez. The production’s costumes are designed by Dorita Reyen G’05 and Kerstin Johnson.

Now in its ninth year under the direction of Eric Johnson, the SU Opera Theater presents one full production a year in Setnor Auditorium on the SU campus. Its production of “Die Fledermaus” was chosen as the No. 1 theatrical event of 2010 by Post-Standard critic Neil Novelli.

For more information about the opera, contact Eric Johnson at 315-443-2512 or ejohns01@syr.edu. For Setnor Auditorium concert status updates, contact 315-443-2191.