THE GODFATHER AND FELLINI MEET VERISMO

Opera’s most famous double bill is back… again

Hundreds of one-act operas have been produced, but few have attained the popularity of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. Premiering in 1890 and 1892, respectively, they have been commonly performed as a double bill since 1893. Interestingly, this is Lyric Opera’s fifth double bill, produced in 1957, 1978, 2002, 2009, and 2025. (Cavalleria rusticana was performed separately in 1955, 1966, and 1969; Pagliacci in 1958 and 1982.) This is now the third time Lyric audiences have been able to see this production, originally directed by Elijah Moshinsky with sets and costumes designed by Michael Yeargan. Not only has it aged rather well, but new singers keep it fresh.

Russell Thomas in PagliacciGabriella Reyes as Nedda and Quinn Kelsey as Tonio in Pagliacci

It is easy to see why Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are often performed together. Both were written around the same time, set contemporaneously in southern Italy, and feature stories about unfaithful lovers that end in murder. Moreover, both take place in the midst of Catholic holidays: Easter and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The Company of PagliacciRussell Thomas and Company in Pagliacci

Cavalleria rusticana’s libretto was written by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci after a short story and play by Giovanni Verga. It tells the story of Santuzza, whose lover Turiddu is having an affair with Alfio’s wife Lola. After Santuzza informs Alfio, he murders Turiddu in anger.

 Russell Thomas and Gabriella Reyes

Leoncavallo wrote his own libretto for Pagliacci, whose source material remains disputed. His rather complex one-act play comes in two parts. In the first, a group of traveling performers arrive in town announcing their show. Canio’s wife Nedda plans to see her lover Silvio, while her other admirer Tonio reveals Nedda’s infidelity to Canio. The latter’s rage takes over the show-within-a-show in the second part, as he soon abandons all pretext of acting, murdering onstage his own wife and her lover.

Gabriella ReyesQuinn Kelsey, Daniel Luis Espinal, Gabriella Reyes

Mascagni’s opera is produced quite traditionally with sets and costumes faithfully representing its late-nineteenth-century Sicilian setting. The Easter pageantry, however, is overdone in a way that makes no liturgical sense, as altar boys and clergy process back and forth across the stage carrying multiple crosses, a statue of the Virgin, and even a monstrance. Leoncavallo’s opera, by contrast, has been transposed to the rather stark landscape of postwar Calabria. Here, the pageantry is provided by circus performers who walk on stilts or moving balls while juggling. Despite the tragic endings of each opera, Moshinsky finds ways to begin each with welcome humor. In Cavalleria rusticana, it is the smoking altar boys, while in Pagliacci it is the children who don’t want to go to church.

Gabriella ReyesThe Company of Pagliacci

Cavalleria rusticana opens with a beautiful melodic theme played by the orchestra, followed by Lyric debut tenor Seokjong Baek’s offstage singing. His sonorous tone and soaring voice make him perfect in the role of Turiddu. And his voice blends beautifully with that of Yulia Matochkina, making her Lyric debut as Santuzza, in their many duets and dialogues. Her mezzo-soprano impresses with its formidable strength, beauty, and emotional depth.

Yulia Matochkina, Seok Jong Baek in Cavalleria rusticanaThe Company of Cavalleria rusticana

The other Lyric debut in this production is Luke Sutliff as Silvio in Pagliacci. He and Gabriella Reyes’s Nedda disappointingly have no chemistry, which undermines the tautness of Leoncavallo’s plot. His role would have been better filled by Daniel Luis Espinal, a second-year member of the Ryan Opera Center. As Beppe, he acts as Reyes’s onstage lover in the second part with aplomb; and his lithe and lissome tenor is utterly captivating. Russell Thomas, as Canio, offers yet another uninspiring performance. His primary problem seems to be a lack of energy and the charisma required for a leading role.

Camille Robles, Quinn Kelsey, the Company of Cavalleria rusticanaCamille Robles as Lola, SeokJong Baek as Turiddu, and
Yulia Matochkina as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana

If a cinematic comparison can be made, it would be that this production’s Cavalleria rusticana is reminiscent of a Godfather movie, especially with its portrayal of Alfio as a mafioso, while Pagliacci is like a Fellini film: disquieting, sometimes manically so, and sardonically satirical. Younger Lyric audience members should definitely go see this double bill production, which has had a great run, but it’s time to put it to bed — along with Russell Thomas.

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photos by Cory Weaver and Andrew Cioffi

Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive
ends on November 23, 2025
for tickets, call 312.827.5600 or visit Lyric Opera

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago

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