Pagliacci – A Thrilling “True Crime” Opera in a Brisk Two Hours!  

By Erin Walker

The 2025 Opera Festival of Chicago’s Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo was a complete work of art at the George Van Dusen Theater. Great singing from principals and a massive chorus filled the stage to the standing ovation of an enthusiastic audience Friday night.  Pagliacci, like Carmen and La Traviata, is opera verismo with a true crime story about a common actress.  There are no Greek Gods, or lords and ladies, nor tiresome repetitions of each aria.  Under the direction of Sasha Gerritson, the opera jumps into the action during the overture with the melancholy entrance of Tonio (Franco Poponi) into the audience, whose gait and tragic, Rigoletto-esque bearing turned the audience’s heads even before his gripping delivery of the prologue.

Let’s talk about how pleasing the aesthetics were: In the first act, we see one of the largest choruses [and children’s chorus] that I have seen assembled in proportion to the stage.  The chorus plays the audience for the “play within a play,” feeding the real audience’s excitement.  Honestly, you won’t feel this at the Lyric unless they hired 500 chorus members.  Bill Morey clothed the actors in Dust Bowl dresses and suits of reddish brown to grey, contrasted with more colorful principals filter in on stage; the shoulder padded white suit of Canio’s emphasized his bigger than life performance, played by Jonathan Burton and Nedda’s teetering fascinator and gloves elevated her from the common throng, played by Michelle Allie Drever.  Scenic Designer Shane Cinal constructed a colorful caravan for the traveling theater troupe whose every inch had character, from the faded but colorful exterior, its patchwork curtain, and the faded cloud background on the inner wall.  The lightning shifted from pastoral blue sky to paper lanterns and dusky hues as the murder approached; Mike Goebel did great work telling the story elegantly through lighting. 

Musically, Sir Emmanuele Andrizzi’s orchestra sounded great and in synchronous with the actors, whose choreography followed the changes minutely.  Special note to the bass section’s beautiful tone during Tonio’s scenes. Tonio’s prologue was plaintive and arresting, and Canio had beautiful resonant high notes and such pathos in the show-stopping “Vesti la giubba” about his pent up feelings when the show must go on.  Beppe (Jerek Fernández) sang with a clear and beautiful voice in the play within a play in Act II, not to mention really great footwork. Nedda’s range had beautiful smooth transitions from high to low notes and such a pleasant resonance.  Silvio (Jonathan Wilson), Nedda’s lover, had such wonderful vibrato and the close harmony of Silvio and Nedda’s voices in duet was sublime.  

Pagliacci plays again at 2:30 at George Van Dusen Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie. In addition to Pagliacci, the Opera Festival of Chicago continues with its Young Artists program performing a delicious program featuring songs inspired by food in opera, Delicatessen Recital, June 5. The Opera Festival of Chicago’s leading artists will then appear in concert for Love is a Triangle, June 14.  Single tickets are $25 – $50 with subscriptions available at OperaFestivalChicago.org.