The Show

Handel's Xerxes — a comedy!

This season for the first time we present a fall production. Handel's Xerxes heads our lineup, with Paula Rasmussen taking on the title role. She has performed this part to great acclaim world-wide (including a DVD in a German production).

Here's the plot: The King, who is played by a girl, falls in love with a girl who is in love with a boy who sings like a girl. The King's girlfriend dresses up like a boy to get him back. The servant of the boy who sings like a girl, dresses up like a girl to get the girlfriend of the boy who sings like a girl back from the King who is played by a girl. At the end, The King's girlfriend, turns back into a girl and everyone is happy. Got it?

We present this Baroque comic masterpiece with the orchestra playing period instruments and conducted by the world renowned Baroque Conductor, Alan Curtis. The production, in modern dress, promises to produce laughs as well as a few tears.

Download the opera program (6MB pdf*)
* If you need a pdf reader, one may be found here.

* Running time about 2 hours 15 minutes, including one intermission.
* Sung Italian with English supertitles

The Cast

Xerxes – Paula Rasmussen
Romilda – Angela Cadelago
Arsamene – Ryan Belongie
Atalanta – Anna Slate
Amastre – Sonia Gariaeff
Elviro – Donald Sherrill
Ariodate – Roger McCracken
Amastre's Lady in Waiting – Mi-Yung Rhee
Xerxes's bodyguards – Michael Feo, Anna Ginnett
Xerxes cover – Elspeth Franks

Chorus – Josh Cohen, Zoltan di Bartolo, Kelly Eshoff, Michael Feo, Rose Frazier, Anna Ginnett, Colin Hamilton, C.A. Jordan, Jerry Kaluski, Tim Martin, Meghan McGovern, Emily Pelc, Michelle Persoff, Patricia Prewitt, Elenka Proulx, Sable Rivera, Isabel To, Cynthia Whitehead, Wayne Wong

Production

Conductor – Alan Curtis
Production Director – Mark Streshinsky
Music Preparation – Jonathan Khuner
Lighting Design – Lucas Krech
Set Design – Liliana Duque Piñeiro
Tree Artist – Mark Canepa
Costume Design – Romy Douglass