Leoncavallo's Pagliacci

Experience the gripping tale of love and jealousy in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, where a traveling troupe of commedia dell’arte brings to life a play mirroring their own secrets and desires. In Pagliacci, composer Ruggero Leoncavallo created not the usual love triangle, but a love quadrangle, with three men all fighting for the love and attention of one woman. Using the classic ‘play within a play’ format, the characters’ real lives act as a mirror to their parts in the play, with tragic consequences. As the on-stage drama melds with real-life passions, the two stories explode in a finale of manipulation, jealousy, violence, and of course, death. This is commedia after all.

Don’t miss Hailey Clark making her role debut as Nedda alongside the ultimate sad-faced and sad-hearted clown Jonathan Burton as Canio. Troublemaker Tonio is sung by Anthony Clark Evans and Nedda’s lover Silvio is sung by tenor Benjamin Taylor both making their Austin Opera debuts.

Austin Opera’s Sarah and Ernest Butler Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor, Timothy Myers, will conduct this powerful heartbreaker, collaborating with director Tara Faircloth who returns to Austin Opera after her last visit for Rigoletto in 2019. Scenic design is by Laura Fine Hawkes, with lighting design by Kathryn Eader.