Irish National Opera presents Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore

This summer, love is in the air – and so is a little magic: Irish National Opera (INO) takes its new production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love) on tour to Cork Opera House for one performance on the 7 June. A masterfully crafted bel canto classic filled with playful comedy and heartfelt emotion, this staging by celebrated comedy specialist Cal McCrystal, promises to be glamorous, romantic, and hilarious.

Irish star soprano Claudia Boyle takes on the role of the sophisticated landowner Adina – a part that demands both vocal brilliance and sharp comedic timing. She is joined by Seoul-born tenor Duke Kim (Faust, 2023) as Nemorino, a shy peasant hopelessly in love with Adina, who regards his affections with little more than amused indifference.

Nemorino’s romantic prospects take a further blow with the arrival of the boastful Sergeant Belcore, performed by Italian baritone Gianluca Margheri (Bajazet, 2022), who promptly sets his sights on Adina. Just as Nemorino’s despair reaches its peak, a mysterious stranger arrives: the travelling quack doctor Dulcamara – portrayed by bass John Molloy – offering a so-called elixir of love that promises miraculous results. Soprano Deirdre Higgins completes the ensemble as Giannetta, Adina’s perceptive and ever-inquisitive friend.

Designer Sarah Bacon reimagines Donizetti’s idyllic Italian setting through the lens of classic American cinema, transporting the narrative to a stylised Wild West landscape. Featuring the Irish National Opera orchestra and chorus, this production combines the fragile beauty of arias such as Una furtiva lagrima with comedic and joyous moments, dynamically interpreted by the full ensemble.

The opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles and has a running time of approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one interval.

Tickets for Cork Opera House start from €34.00 and are available through the venue’s box office (+ 353 (0) 21 – 427 0022).

Irish National Opera is funded by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.