Yes, we know opera has that connotation. You have to understand opera, whatever that means. Trust me, there are supertitles, as they are called, that can help you figure out what they are saying.
Opera is, to me, one of those unique combinations of all the greatness of arts rolled into one: Musical theater, theater, a live orchestra playing some of the best classical music ever written, and, of course, singers that leave you wondering: "How do they do that?"
With that said, we have one of the best opera companies in the country playing here. So, if you are an opera lover, bravo; if you've never been, Florida Grand Opera's season has a few classics that aren't challenging. For opera buffs, like me, there are those types of works, indeed. And, especially this year, "Frida," about the life of painter Frida Kahlo, well, that's a surefire win.
Florida Grand Opera’s 78th season is, as the company says, its "deepest and most complete range of the whole opera experience the company has yet offered." Classics "La Bohème" and "The Marriage of Figaro," connoisseur’s delight "Werther," and, as mentioned above, the new and inspiring Robert Xavier Rodríguez's "Frida," based on the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
Below, the complete rundown.
"La bohème" by Giacomo Puccini - Nov. 3 - 17, 2018
Experience Giacomo Puccini’s lyrical romantic tragedy of young lovers in the Latin Quarter of nineteeth century Paris. Will Mimì and Rodolfo find a way to make their love survive terrible poverty, the freezing winter, and Mimì’s life threatening illness? Puccini’s magical melodies, including “Si, mi chiamano Mimì” and Mussetta’s famous waltz transform this tale of lovers living on borrowed time into a timeless classic. It’s a work that has turned up memorably in major feature films, including the Academy Award winner "Moonstruck" and also inspired the brilliant modern Broadway musical "Rent."
Sung in Italian with projected translations in English and Spanish.
"The Marriage of Figaro"by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Jan. 26 – Feb. 9, 2019
The servants turn the tables on the masters in Mozart’s biting and sexually charged comedy about the established social order being tossed on its head. Today, Figaro rocks with the same revolutionary spirit that made it such a popular success at its 1786 premier. Experience an intoxicating take on one of the great ensemble comedies in all of opera, with its endless supply of unforgettable melodies popularized in the movie The Shawshank Redemption.
Sung in Italian, with projected translations in English and Spanish.
"Frida" by Robert Xavier Rodríguez - March 16 - 30, 2019
Robert Xavier Rodríguez’s colorful score is a perfect match for the passionate art of the legendry Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Wracked by agonizing physical pain and caught up in a stormy marriage to Diego Rivera, the flame that fueled Kahlo’s art just kept burning and never turned to ash. She created fifty-five self-portraits. But no portrait of her is quite revealing as the one in Rodriguez’s opera.
Sung in English and Spanish with projected translations in English and Spanish.
"Werther"by Jules Massenet - April 27 - May 11, 2019
Jules Massenet’s portrait of a lonely-hearted dreamer obsessed with a love he can never have is one of the greatest of all Romanticoperas. "Werther’s" tale of unrequited love is based on Goethe’s "The Sorrows of Young Werther," one of the enduring classics in German literature, and memorably probes the question: how far can one man go in his single-minded passion for one woman?
Sung in French, with projected translations in English and Spanish.
The Florida Grand Opera performs at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL, and The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Subscribe to the 2018-19 Season by calling 1-800-741-1010, purchasing on www.FGO.or or visiting the Box Office at FGO’s Doral Education Center at 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122
Single tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 4, 2018.
