Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 2 The Barber of Seville

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 32 After the curtain falls Thank you for attending The Barber of Seville , one of opera’s most famous comedies. We hope you enjoyed the experience! It’s always great to continue talking about the opera, so here are some suggested conversation starters for on the way home: ▪ What moments made you laugh out loud? Did your companion/s find the same parts funny? ▪ What melody stuck in your head as you left the theater? ▪ Figaro makes a grand entrance with “Largo al factorum”— a.k.a. the “Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!” song. Does he remind you of any movie or TV characters? ▪ Who would you cast if The Barber of Seville was turned into a movie or a TV sitcom? ▪ The music from Barber has been sampled, riffed on, and repurposed in many pieces of pop culture. Where have you heard references before? (Here’s a hint—think animated rabbit) ▪ Does the music remind you of any other musical style? ▪ In the opera, Figaro’s a character with a lower social status, yet he tends to outsmart others at almost every turn. What does this opera tell us about status and class? ▪ If you were going to direct and design your own production of Barber , what would it look like? MORE, PLEASE Craving more about Rossini and The Barber of Seville ? Lyric has lots of suggestions and resources to help you explore more about this production and its stories. Visit lyricopera.org/AfterCurtain for cast profiles and video extras, suggestions on further reading and listening, relive moments from the show, take in notes about the opera and much more. Enjoy! From Lyric’s archives The legendary Italian mezzo-soprano Giulietta Simionato in her Rosina costume from The Barber of Seville , backstage at Lyric in 1954, the company's inaugural season. Nancy Sorensen