Emma Char as Angelina (“Cenerentola”) and Ian José Ramirez as Prince Ramiro in CCM’s production of ‘La Cenerentola.’
Based on Charles Perrault’s Cinderella fairytale, Gioachino Rossini’s bubbly opera La Cenerentola liberally adapts the familiar story to reflect a changing culture, greed and the beauty of love. CCM’s Studio Opera Series takes this tale from its original setting at the end of the age of Enlightenment to today in a modern retelling of a classic. The vocal acrobatics of Rossini paired with the comedic love story of Cinderella runs May 25 through 27 in UC’s Cohen Family Studio Theater. Blake Richardson conducts with stage direction by Jennifer A. Williams.
CCM Studio Opera’s production of La Cenerentola shows Cinderella as a smart, freethinking woman who learns to be the architect of her future. As Jennifer Williams, second-year Artist’s Diploma student and director of La Cenerentola puts it, “Don Magnifico’s financially plagued household is portrayed as a literal pit that has the trappings of a present-day home at the brink of foreclosure. The vain, superficial stepsisters are figures straight from reality TV; their extreme antics and garish appearances evoke Jersey Shore and Real Housewives. Magnifico uses his daughters for his own gain with Machiavellian cunning, but his alcoholism poses a very real obstacle for him and his family.”
In contrast, the royal palace is a towering, pristine shrine to wealth and privilege. Despite his luxurious upbringing, Prince Ramiro rebels against his family by insisting on marrying for love over politics and goes on a quest to find his soul mate. Needing to observe others as they really are, he disguises himself as a scruffy Indie filmmaker with the help of his closest friend, Dandini. The two set out to find the true love of the Prince’s heart in one of Rossini’s funniest yet most poignant operas. In the end, Cinderella’s pluck and courage truly are her most attractive qualities and one of the most endearing attributes of Rossini’s charming comedic gem, La Cenerentola.
Performance Times
- 8 p.m. Friday, May 25
- 8 p.m. Saturday, May 26
- 2 p.m. Sunday, May 27
Location
Cohen Family Studio Theater, College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati
Tickets & Parking Information
Admission to La Cenerentola is FREE, but reservations are required. Tickets become available Monday, May 21, at noon. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (at the base of Corry Boulevard off of Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus.
For complete ticket and parking information, visit ccm.uc.edu or call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.
La Cenerentola Cast List:
- Emma Char (Second-year Artist’s Diploma student from Wayne, Pennsylvania) and Kate Wakefield (Second-year graduate student from Ann Arbor, Michigan) as Angelina (“Cenerentola”)
- Ian José Ramirez (Second-year graduate student from The Woodlands, Texas) and Spencer Viator (Senior from Cincinnati, Ohio) as Prince Ramiro
- Chance Eakin (Second-year graduate student from Killeen, Texas) as Don Magnifico
- Edward Nelson (First-year graduate student from Valenda, California) and John McCarthy (Second-year graduate student from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) as Dandini
- Jeremy Parker (First-year Artist’s Diploma from Vandalia, Ohio) and Fotina Naumenko (Second-year graduate student from Rochester, New York) as Clorinda
- Paulette Maria Penzvalto (Second-year graduate student from Akron, Ohio) and Adrea Caffaro (First-year graduate student from Omaha, Nebraska) as Tisbe
- Derrell Acon (First-year graduate student from St. Louis, Missouri) as Alidoro
CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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