San Diego Opera: The Barber of Seville at San Diego Civic Theatre

The Barber Of Seville

What happens when a wildly implausible story, a whole lot of comedy, ingenious music, vivid and merry vibes, witty humour, fast-paced fun, infectious melodies, insane operatic skill, pure excellence, and technical sophistication are thrown into an artistic melting pot? 

The Barber Of Seville happens. 

The iconic opera buffa in two acts has become a staple among operatic repertoire since its premiere in 1816. Even though the opera is meant to entertain and doesn’t wallow in gimmickry, it requires great vocal proficiency and perfect dramatic execution. The San Diego Opera’s all-new production of The Barber Of Seville, under the masterful baton of Yves Abel and skillful direction of Chuck Hudson, features the impeccable talents of superb baritone Dean Murphy as Figaro, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche as Rosina, Minghau Liu as Count Almaviva, Patrick Carfizzi as Doctor Bartolo, Craig Colclough as Don Basilio, Tasha Hokuao Koontz as Berta, and Joseph Calzada Fiorello. The performance will be sung in Italian, with English and Spanish translations projected above the stage. 

The Opera Buffa Of All 'Opere Buffe'

Composer Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber Of Seville serves as a hilarious prequel to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s iconic opera buffa, The Marriage of Figaro. The libretto, as written by Cesare Sterbini, is based upon playwright Pierre Beaumarchais’s French comedic trilogy surrounding the character Figaro. The first part of the trilogy served as the basis of The Barber of Seville, while The Marriage of Figaro is based on the second part. The Barber of Seville is hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces when it comes to comedy in music - the opera buffa of all opere buffe. Even today, over two centuries after its premiere, The Barber of Seville is one of the most popular operatic works. It is simple: the The Barber of Seville adores the stage, and the stage adores it. 

The San Diego Civic Theatre

The San Diego Civic Theatre, located in downtown San Diego, is known as one of North America’s greatest theatres, and is one of the largest performing arts venues on the West Coast. The venue ticks all the boxes you can think of when it comes to live entertainment - from the state-of-the-art sound and lighting and superb acoustics to its fantastic amenities, great sight-lines, and surrounding attractions. With the venue’s luxurious seating for up to 2,900 theatregoers spread across an orchestra floor, dress circle, mezzanine, and balcony, you’ll be spoilt for choice - there are seats suitable to every taste and budget. 

This is our guarantee: you’ve never enjoyed an operatic production as much as you’ll enjoy The Barber as Seville, so go ahead, get your tickets now!