So Donizetti’s Adina became Marian the Librarian (sort of), Dulcamara the elixir salesman became a version of Harold Hill, and we get an ice-cream salesman (Nemorino) and an army recruiter (Belcore). “I’ve always thought of these Donizetti comedies as being in a direct line with American musicals anyway.” Photos by Ken Howard, Opera Theatre of St. “And we realized it has a lot in common with The Music Man.” Once the idea was spawned, he said, the piece quickly fell into place. Louis since 2009 and is making his Lyric directing debut.

“We got this idea of setting it in middle America, a sort of Anytown, U.S.A.,” said James, who has been artistic director of Opera Theatre of St. In fact it didn’t take long for director James Robinson and his team, including veteran set designer Allen Moyer, to draw the obvious parallel. Sound familiar? If the plot of The Elixir of Love resembles a Broadway musical you can name, you’re probably already on board for the Lyric Opera’s production of Donizetti’s 1832 opera, which runs from March 12th through the 20th at the Kauffman Center. Some are fooled, but not the bookish heroine, who is the cleverest and, it turns out, the most interesting woman in town. Imagine the tale: A city slicker blows into a small town hoping to sell dubious goods to gullible farmers.

Elixir of love lyric opera