Kelly Kaduce starred in five operas in six years for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, but she hasn't appeared here since her 2009 turn as Salome. Her star has continue to rise in the opera world, so OTSL is fortunate to have Kaduce back for Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. Kaduce stars as Nedda, the wife of the clown Pagliacci. Their marriage -- and the family act -- is threatened by Nedda's infidelity, as her husband seethes with jealousy and violent possessiveness. It's a performance within a performance, as the play Nedda and Pagliacci perform revolves around an unfaithful wife -- and you better believe blood will be shed. Pagliacci is paired with Giacomo Puccini's Il tabarro, another one-act opera that hinges upon a jealous husband and a straying wife; there's also a bit of stage drama involving a voluminous cloak, but you'll see that soon enough. Pagliacci and Il tabarro debut at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus (130 Edgar Road; 314-961-0644 or www.opera-stl.org). Tickets are $25 to $120. The double bill is performed seven more times in repertory through Saturday, June 29.
Sat., June 1; Wed., June 5; Fri., June 7; Thu., June 13; Wed., June 19; Sun., June 23; Tue., June 25; Sat., June 29, 2013
