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Opera Circle: Madama Butterfly at Ohio Theater (June 13)

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by J.D. Goddard

Pinkerton-ButterflySince 1997, with its first production of I Pagliacci, Opera Circle has produced an impressive record of more than 50 opera productions in churches and other venues throughout Northeast Ohio. On June 13, Opera Circle brought to the Ohio Theater stage in PlayhouseSquare a somewhat subtle production of one of the most revered titles of all time, Giacomo Puccini’s three act opera, Madama Butterfly, with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Like other works staged in the past two years, Opera Circle’s Butterfly courageously moved the company forward, enhancing its presence as an operatic staple in Cleveland’s classical music scene. This marked the company’s third performance in the Ohio Theater. [Read more…]

Opera Circle presents Madama Butterfly (June 13): catching up with tenor Isaac Hurtado

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by Mike Telin

HURTADO-IsaacWhen Opera Circle presents Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 pm in the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square, the outstanding American tenor Isaac Hurtado will return to the Opera Circle stage performing the role of B.F. Pinkerton.

Hurtado has received praise for his Opera Circle performances in the role of the Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and for his gripping performance in the title role of Massenet’s Werther. We caught up with Issac Hurtado by telephone and began by asking him how he prepared to perform the role of the American naval officer, who, at least by modern standards, makes a questionable moral decision when he decides to abandon Butterfly. [Read more…]

Review: Opera Circle’s Rigoletto at the Ohio Theater (June 15)

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by J.D. Goddard

OCRigolettoRigolettoBefore performing at a major theater in downtown Cleveland last Saturday for the first time in its 17-year history, Opera Circle logged an impressive record of 47 opera performances in churches and other venues throughout Northeast Ohio. On June 15, Opera Circle brought to the Ohio Theater stage in PlayhouseSquare an adventuresome production of one of the most venerated operas of all time, Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto. In the works for over two years and previously performed on a smaller scale in 2007, Opera Circle’s Rigoletto bravely broke away from the company’s past operational and financial constraints.

The production’s frugal yet effective sets and upstage projections, somewhat restrained lighting and straightforward staging allowed its strong cast of singers to keenly concentrate on the dramatic flow of this most tragic of stories, free from the distraction of flamboyant and opulent sets. [Read more…]

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