Tosca

by

Giacomo Puccini
 
Libretto by
Giuseppe Giacosa and
Luigi Illica

Based on the drama
La tosca by Victorien Sardou

Sung in Italian with English supertitles

Synopsis

November 13 - 28, 2010
 

All performances start at 8 p.m. except for Sunday matinees which start at 3 p.m.

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Photo by Pat Kirk

She's a superstar: brilliant, beautiful, and spoiled. Yet Floria Tosca, despite her wealth and privilege, cannot save her aristocratic lover without consenting to debase herself. An opera diva as wildly popular in 1800 Rome as any rock or movie icon today, she finds that living for "art, love, and prayer" isn't enough to protect her in a society run by wicked, powerful men. She is a beauty pursued by a beast determined to have her, and killing her stalker - chief of the secret police, Baron Scarpia - still doesn't end her suffering. Suicide is her final act of defiance.

Tosca is at first glance an unlikely vehicle for Puccini. Murder, violence, and lust would seem to be unfamiliar themes for his typically tender, sentimental style. But his genius triumphs in this political thriller full of arias that are as dramatic and compelling as they are lyrical and heart-breaking. This is an opera where no one escapes death and destiny, yet for most, their downfall is so powerfully poignant that, indeed, "the stars fall down."