G. DONIZETTI

DON PASQUALE

21. 22. 23. 24. 25 AUGUST

The course of true love never runs smooth in Italian comedies, and there are twists and turns aplenty in Donizetti’s uproarious opera buffa Don Pasquale, in which the young lovers Norina and Ernesto decide to teach an unscrupulous elderly bachelor a lesson. German director Claudia Blersch returns to Cape Town after her hugely entertaining 2017 La Cenerentola, with Italian designer Giulio Bernardi joining Maritha Visagie to bring a slice of Neapolitan life to the Baxter Theatre stage. Singers from the CTO Young Artist Programme join outstanding young performers from the UCT Opera School, including Brittany Smith as Norina, Nkululeko Masuku as Ernesto, Luvuyo Mbundu as Malatesta, and guest artist Bongani Kubheka appearing as Don Pasquale. Spanish conductor Daniel Montané makes his Cape Town debut, leading the young musicians of the UCT Symphony Orchestra through the bittersweet highs and lows of this sparkling comedy.