Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 2 The Elixir of Love

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 22 Additional support is provided by Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Production Circle. Lyric Opera of Chicago gratefully acknowledges the support of the Mr.and Mrs.William H.Red eld Bel Canto Opera Endowed Chair and NIB Foundation Italian Opera Endowed Chair. Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Of cial Airline,American Airlines. A co-production of Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera, originally created by Opera North,UK. Additional costumes by Paul Chang. Titles provided by Opera North,UK APPROXIMATE TIMINGS Act 1 1 hour, 5 minutes Intermission 25 minutes Act 2 1 hour Total 2 hours, 30 minutes Act one In a small village, somewhere in Italy, a poor young man named Nemorino is hopelessly in love with the capricious and unobtainable Adina. He listens longingly as she reads aloud to her workers and guests the tale of Tristan and Isolde, whose love for one another was in amed by the drinking of a magic potion. A stranger arrives in the village—Captain Belcore—who immediately begins to irt with Adina. Nemorino is miserably jealous, and appalled when Belcore precipitously asks for Adina’s hand in marriage. She does not immediately accept, but neither does she categorically refuse him. Fearful of losing Adina, Nemorino declares his love for her. Kindly, but rmly, she turns him down. A second stranger drops in—the colorful and charismatic Doctor Dulcamara. Claiming to offer a miraculous cure for every ill, he sells his wares to the villagers. Nemorino, believing that the hand of fate is helping him, asks Dulcamara if he stocks Isolde’s love potion. Seizing the chance to make some easy money, Dulcamara instantly produces the elixir of love. It will not, he warns, take effect for 24 hours; by the time Nemorino discovers it’s nothing but cheap wine, the Doctor will have left the village. Nemorino, who has never touched alcohol before, proceeds to drink the entire bottle. He quickly grows more cheerful and con dent. Seeing Adina, he adopts an air of lofty indifference. Piqued by Nemorino’s change in attitude, she informs Belcore that she will marry him at the end of the week. At that moment, the Captain’s of cers arrive with orders to return to duty the following morning. Belcore therefore suggests they move the wedding to that very evening. Nemorino is horri ed; by the time the love potion works its magic, Adina will be married. He pleads with her, but to no avail. To the joy of everyone in the village, Adina and Belcore make preparations for their nuptials. INTERMISSION ENRIQUE CIRCLE Alice & John Butler Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel Robert & Penelope Steiner Family Foundation PRODUCTION SPONSOR Sonia Florian Synopsis TIME 1950s | PLACE A small Italian village