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The Italian Girl in Algiers

Presented by Austin Lyric Opera at The Long Center for the Performing Arts

January 29-February 6, 2011

Avg. Event Rating (4.3 Stars):
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In Algiers, at the seaside palace of the bey Mustafa, his wife, Elvira, complains that her husband no longer love her; her attendants reply there is nothing she can do.  Mustafa himself bursts in.  Asserting he will not let women get the better of him, he sends Elvira away when she complains. Mustafa says he has tired of his wife and will give her to Lindoro, a young Italian at the court, to marry.  Then he orders Haly, a captain in his service, to provide an Italian woman for himself--someone more interesting than the girls in his harem, all of whom bore him.  Lindoro longs for his own sweetheart, Isabella, whom he lost when pirates captured him.  Mustafa tells him he can have Elvira, insisting she possesses every virture that Lindoro, in his attempt to escape Mustafa's connubial trap, has listed.

Experience the this tangled web of lust, love, and longing  masterfully performed by the Austin Lyric Opera.

• At-a-
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  • Venue Info

    The Long Center for the Performing Arts

    701 West Riverside Drive
    Austin, TX 78704

    Full map and directions

  • Admission Info

    Tickets:

    $20-$200

    Buy Tickets

    Check for Discount Ticket

  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    January 29-February 6, 2011

    Times:
    

    January 29, February 2, 4, 6

  • Accessibility Info

    Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.

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    Currently, additional images/videos have not been submitted for this event.

  • Member Reviews

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    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "A Pleasant Evening Out"
      Review posted by: N.D. from Austin, TX, Feb 02, 2011
      

      I enjoyed this performance. I often don't think of Opera as comedic but found myself laughing. The performers are really good at their gestures and facial expressions which makes it easier to catch... Expand

      I enjoyed this performance. I often don't think of Opera as comedic but found myself laughing. The performers are really good at their gestures and facial expressions which makes it easier to catch the jokes. Collapse

    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "Simply Enjoyable, Enriching, and Entertaining!"
      Review posted by: Ruby Sinclair from Austin, TX, Feb 02, 2011
      

      If you have ever wondered if you should go to the Opera because you weren't sure if you would be able to understand what was going on, Italian Girl in Algiers is the perfect example of proving that... Expand

      If you have ever wondered if you should go to the Opera because you weren't sure if you would be able to understand what was going on, Italian Girl in Algiers is the perfect example of proving that theory wrong! I don't know a drop of Italian but found myself laughing and smiling throughout the entire performance. Operas focus on themes and stories that speak to a wide audience. And you throw in a sensational love triangle/square/pentagon and you have a deliciously fun evening of entertaining! Very much worth going to see!! Collapse

    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "Delightful, Delicious, (Melo)Dramatic"
      Review posted by: Preston Kirk from Spicewood (Austin) TX, USA, Jan 30, 2011
      

      Whether Gioachano Rossini wrote this two-act opera in 18 or 27 days (still disputed) is beside the point. He was only 21 when he wrote it in the early 1800s! It was one of his 39 operas, plus sacred... Expand

      Whether Gioachano Rossini wrote this two-act opera in 18 or 27 days (still disputed) is beside the point. He was only 21 when he wrote it in the early 1800s! It was one of his 39 operas, plus sacred and chamber music, songs and piano pieces! And he retired at age 37! With its inspired, song-like melodies, travelogue of lust, love, slavery, chicanery and buffoonery, he had a right to smile smugly for another 39 years. Just check out an early photograph of him at UT-Austin’s Ransom Humanities Research Center. “The Italian Mozart,” as he was nicknamed, proudly wears the mantle of “most popular opera composer in history.” Well, at the time. “Italian Girl” holds up well in ALO’s staging, even at the end of three hours, thanks to a wonderful set with angled ramps that convey a sense of sand dunes, a storybook, pop-up set, and the clever updating with a 1930s airplane, rather than the original ships. The music reflects Rossini’s remarkable style of fusing sustained, manic (more) Collapse

    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "Joyful, Comedic Fun"
      Review posted by: Ronda Dale Kirk from Spicewood (Austin) TX, USA, Jan 30, 2011
      

      I direct my comments to readers unsure if opera is worthy of their limited leisure time or, perhaps, a threat to their progrock or pop melodies playlists. You’ll never know unless you go. I say... Expand

      I direct my comments to readers unsure if opera is worthy of their limited leisure time or, perhaps, a threat to their progrock or pop melodies playlists. You’ll never know unless you go. I say emphatically, “Give ‘Italian Girl...’ a try.” The program’s quick-read synopsis and the brief supertitles above the stage make the humorous plot easily understood and followed. The vocal coloraturas, in Italian, are simply icing on this zest-filled cake. The cast and creative team bring the convoluted story to life in excellent fashion. ALO serves up quick, agile, comedic acting; interesting, vibrantly colorful costumes, and an amazing set that opens up like an enormous pop-up book. The entire production is visually appealing. Then there is Rossini’s wonderful score. Uplifting. As Principal Conductor Richard Buckley noted, “incredible vocal pyrotechnics.” The gifted cast is awe-inspiring. Rossini may have written this opera quickly, but it has endured for almost 200 years for good reason. Collapse

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    Currently, additional images/videos have not been submitted for this event.

• Member
  Reviews

  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "A Pleasant Evening Out"
      Review posted by: N.D. from Austin, TX, Feb 02, 2011
      

      I enjoyed this performance. I often don't think of Opera as comedic but found myself laughing. The performers are really good at their gestures and facial expressions which makes it easier to catch... Expand

      I enjoyed this performance. I often don't think of Opera as comedic but found myself laughing. The performers are really good at their gestures and facial expressions which makes it easier to catch the jokes. Collapse

    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "Simply Enjoyable, Enriching, and Entertaining!"
      Review posted by: Ruby Sinclair from Austin, TX, Feb 02, 2011
      

      If you have ever wondered if you should go to the Opera because you weren't sure if you would be able to understand what was going on, Italian Girl in Algiers is the perfect example of proving that... Expand

      If you have ever wondered if you should go to the Opera because you weren't sure if you would be able to understand what was going on, Italian Girl in Algiers is the perfect example of proving that theory wrong! I don't know a drop of Italian but found myself laughing and smiling throughout the entire performance. Operas focus on themes and stories that speak to a wide audience. And you throw in a sensational love triangle/square/pentagon and you have a deliciously fun evening of entertaining! Very much worth going to see!! Collapse

    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "Delightful, Delicious, (Melo)Dramatic"
      Review posted by: Preston Kirk from Spicewood (Austin) TX, USA, Jan 30, 2011
      

      Whether Gioachano Rossini wrote this two-act opera in 18 or 27 days (still disputed) is beside the point. He was only 21 when he wrote it in the early 1800s! It was one of his 39 operas, plus sacred... Expand

      Whether Gioachano Rossini wrote this two-act opera in 18 or 27 days (still disputed) is beside the point. He was only 21 when he wrote it in the early 1800s! It was one of his 39 operas, plus sacred and chamber music, songs and piano pieces! And he retired at age 37! With its inspired, song-like melodies, travelogue of lust, love, slavery, chicanery and buffoonery, he had a right to smile smugly for another 39 years. Just check out an early photograph of him at UT-Austin’s Ransom Humanities Research Center. “The Italian Mozart,” as he was nicknamed, proudly wears the mantle of “most popular opera composer in history.” Well, at the time. “Italian Girl” holds up well in ALO’s staging, even at the end of three hours, thanks to a wonderful set with angled ramps that convey a sense of sand dunes, a storybook, pop-up set, and the clever updating with a 1930s airplane, rather than the original ships. The music reflects Rossini’s remarkable style of fusing sustained, manic (more) Collapse

    • Event Name: The Italian Girl in Algiers
      "Joyful, Comedic Fun"
      Review posted by: Ronda Dale Kirk from Spicewood (Austin) TX, USA, Jan 30, 2011
      

      I direct my comments to readers unsure if opera is worthy of their limited leisure time or, perhaps, a threat to their progrock or pop melodies playlists. You’ll never know unless you go. I say... Expand

      I direct my comments to readers unsure if opera is worthy of their limited leisure time or, perhaps, a threat to their progrock or pop melodies playlists. You’ll never know unless you go. I say emphatically, “Give ‘Italian Girl...’ a try.” The program’s quick-read synopsis and the brief supertitles above the stage make the humorous plot easily understood and followed. The vocal coloraturas, in Italian, are simply icing on this zest-filled cake. The cast and creative team bring the convoluted story to life in excellent fashion. ALO serves up quick, agile, comedic acting; interesting, vibrantly colorful costumes, and an amazing set that opens up like an enormous pop-up book. The entire production is visually appealing. Then there is Rossini’s wonderful score. Uplifting. As Principal Conductor Richard Buckley noted, “incredible vocal pyrotechnics.” The gifted cast is awe-inspiring. Rossini may have written this opera quickly, but it has endured for almost 200 years for good reason. Collapse

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