L' Elisir D'Amore Tickets

About the Show:

L'Elisir D'Amore is an opera composed by Gaetano Donizetti, with a libretto by Felice Romani. Premiering on May 12, 1832, at Milan's Teatro della Canobbiana, it was based on Daniel Francois Esprit Auber's 1831 opera, Le Philtre. Of the many differences between the two, perhaps the most famous is the tenor aria "Una Furtiva Lagrima ("A Hidden Tear")," one of the most performed arias in the entire operatic canon. Certainly, Donizetti's opera has withstood the test of time more than the work it is based on; it is number 12 on Operabase's list of the world's most-performed operas.

L'Elisir D'Amore has elements of comedy, but Donizetti did not categorize it as simply as that. Rather, because it is really a melodrama with comic elements and a happy ending, he considered it a "drama giocoso," much like The Marriage of Figaro." And because of its relatively harmless subject matter, it is appropriate for a wider audience than most of today's more popular selections, so it serves as a good introduction to the art form for young people. Order L'Elisir D'Amore tickets today for yourself, the class, or the whole family; this popular work won't disappoint.

Plot Synopsis:

Act I: An Italian village, at the turn of the 19th century. Nemorino, a poor peasant, dotes over Adina, a beautiful landowner, who plays with his emotions. When Adina explains to the peasants the story of how Tristan won Isolde by drinking a magic love potion, he resolves to do the very same to win her heart. When Sergeant Belcore appears with his regiment proposing marriage to Adina, Nemorino runs off to the travelling salesman Dulcamara, who offers him a (fake) love potion for the contents of his pockets. Dulcamara tells Nemorino that the potion (actually just wine) will take effect the next day (by which time he plans to have left town).

Suddenly bursting with confidence, Nemorino begins treating Adina with the same indifference she has shown him, sure that by the next day she will be in love with him. She is upset by this reversal, but hides her affection for him. Sergeant Belcore arrives saying that he is set to ship off the next morning, so she agrees to marry him that day. Secretly panicking, Nemorino rushes back to Dulcamara for help.

Act II: The lavish wedding party has commenced, but when the notary arrives to officiate the marriage, Adina wonders where Nemorino is. Outside, Nemorino finds Dulcamara, asking him for a more powerful potion, but he refuses when he sees that the boy has no money. Dulcamara exits as Belcore encounters Nemorino and asks about his sorrow. When he replies that he has no money, Belcore suggests that he enlist in the army. He will be paid immediately (and Belcore will have Adina all to himself). Nemorino desperately signs the contract and Belcore hands over the cash.

Later, Nemorino is drunk off of the "potions" that he has bought from Dulcamara, and he is totally oblivious to the news that his uncle has died and left him a fortune. When the opportunistic women of the town crowd around him, he is convinced the magic has worked. Adina notices Nemorino's new mood and asks Dulcamara what has gotten into him. When he replies that the boy has spent all of his money and even enlisted in the army to win the love of a defiant woman, she is enchanted by his devotion and falls completely in love with him.

Adina finally finds Nemorino and asks him why he enlisted, to which he replies that he seeks a better life. She replies that he is loved and that she has bought back his military contract, which she offers him as she turns away. He blurts out his feelings for Adina and she responds with her own, begging him to forgive her for her previous teasing and cruelty. When Belcore returns to see the two embracing, he accepts it and blesses their union, saying that there are other women who will love him. Dulcamara packs his bags for his next journey as the townspeople agree that the magical elixir has done its job.

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