Toronto Operetta Theatre will be mounting a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers. Performances take place on Feb. 28, Mar. 1 and 2 at the St. Lawrence Centre.
“Our season this year has been very rewarding artistically with some of the greatest reviews ever,” says TOT’s founder and General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin, “Equally exciting is the increase in attendance. We reached our goal for Countess Maritza, and ticket sales for The Gondoliers have already exceeded our expectations.”
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers
Also known as The King of Barataria, the work is a Savoy Opera, a type of comic opera that premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London. It was a huge success at its premiere in December 1889, and ran for 554 performances before closing in 1891.
The story takes place in Venice, as two handsome gondoliers choose their wives from the local peasant girls. It turns out one of them is the heir to the throne of Barataria — but which one?
The two decide to rule together, but another revelation throws a monkey wrench into their plans: another girl was promised in childhood to become the bride of the prince.
The libretto pokes fun at the perks and perils of privilege with a lighthearted lens.
The Cast
The two titular gondoliers are played by tenor Yanik Gosselin as Marco and baritone Sebastien Belcourt as Giuseppe. Gosselin is making his TOT debut with The Gondoliers. He’s originally from the Lake Temiskaming region in Ontario, now based in Halifax. Yanik earned a BMus in Voice Performance from the University of Ottawa, followed by an MMus in Opera and Voice from McGill University.
Sebastien Belcourt is a TOT favourite, and most recently performed as Popolescu in Countess Maritza. The Toronto-based baritone is a graduate of York University in Classical Voice, and his experience includes choral as well as operatic work, including performing with the Orpheus and Ottawa Bach Choirs. He toured Europe and China with the latter, and has performed as a soloist in North America and Europe.
The contadini (peasant girls) are performed by soprano Brooke Mitchell as Giannetta, and mezzo soprano Lissy Meyerowitz as Tessa. Brooke won rave reviews as Kathie in the TOT’s The Student Prince. Based in Toronto, Brooke is a graduate of Sheridan’s Music Theatre program, with credits that include operatic roles like Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute (No Strings Theatre/Opera By Request), along with Alice in Bad Hats Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland, among others.
Lissy Meyerowitz’s recent roles include Rosina in Barber of Seville for Highlands Opera and Niklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann for the Halifax Summer Opera Festival. She’s a graduate of the University of Toronto Opera Master’s program, and served as a Sidgwick Scholar with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto from 2022-2023.
The Duchess and Duke of Plaza Toro are portrayed by mezzo Meghan Symon and baritone Gregory Finney. Booth are veterans of TOT productions. Meghan earned a Master’s degree at the University of Toronto, and has sung with companies and ensembles across Canada, including Manitoba Opera, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Cathedral Bluffs Orchestra, Manitoba Underground Opera, The Theater of Early Music, Toronto Operetta Theater and Voicebox: Opera in Concert, among others.
Known for his comedic skills as well as his voice, Finney is a Dora Award winner (Messiah/Complex by Against the Grain Theatre), and has hosted AtG’s monthly opera pubs. His repertoire includes a wide variety of roles, and he is also a director who has led productions Nozze di Figaro and Carmen.
Conductor Matheus Coelho, an alumnus of the São Paulo Symphony’s Academy of Music, and currently a UofT Doctoral candidate, makes their debut with Toronto Operetta Theatre.
TOT General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin directs, with Myra Malley as Stage Manager.
- Find more details about the performances, and tickets, [HERE].
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox
