Scottish Opera: The Italian Girl in Algiers

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(Photo: Neil Mackenzie)

Website: www.scottishopera.org.uk

Colin McColl directs a co-production with New Zealand Opera that brings Rossini's spirited, fast-paced opera into the 21st century - onto the set of a TV soap. The consequences of the Turkish Bey Mustafa's attempts to trade in his wife for a newer model rival any soap for twists, turns and misunderstandings. Soloists include bass Tiziano Bracci in his UK debut and Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill. Wyn Davies conducts.

Rossini's The Italian Girl in Algiers

(Soap) opera as you've never seen it before

Tonight on Algiers…

Love-rat Mustafa ditches his wife and decides it’s high time he bagged himself an Italian beauty. The young, gorgeous and conveniently Italian Isabella arrives on the scene looking for her hunky lover, Lindoro. Mustafa can’t keep his eyes (or hands) off her and packs Elvira off so he can have his wicked way.

Meanwhile, Isabella and Lindoro plot their escape. With things really hotting up, will Mustafa manage to put a spanner in the works?

Colin McColl’s cheeky take on Rossini’s comic opera is a riot of bunny girls, beach balls, and small screen heroes with big screen egos. Set in a TV studio during the filming of popular Latino soap, Algiers, the show pits Rossini’s typically playful and lyrical music against the shoreline shenanigans of cast and crew. You’d think the scandal would be confined to the outrageous storylines, but there’s as much action off set as there is on…

Tune in from 21 October at 7.15pm!

Sung in Italian with English supertitles - Hear a sneak preview of The Italian Girl in Algiers