“Serious art” usually comes with death and suffering as part of the accessories package, suggesting that stories can’t be timeless unless someone something terrible happens. Love stories that fit this category tend to either need to have someone die or be written by Shakespeare, though the two are by no means mutually exclusive. After all, the Bard enjoyed a good death as much as the next playwright.
Sometimes, however, the lighter side of romance can stand the test of time. The Utah Opera will be proving that to Salt Lake audiences with their upcoming production of “The Elixir of Love,” coming to the Capitol Theatre March 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 (tickets are available online). The opera, by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, follows a series of Italian villagers who fall in and out of love (and then back in) thanks to what they think is a “magical elixir” sold by a passing con man.
The opera, which is also known as “L'elisir d'amore,” was the 12th most performed opera in the world during the 2009/2010 season according to the Opera information site Operabase (to find the rest of the list, scroll down to the “Operas” subhead). Donizetti comes it at number six on the site’s list of composers whose work is most often performed, though America only has one entry on the list of world cities with the most opera performances (New York City comes in at number seven).
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