Opera Santa Barbara will present the California premiere of Hector Armienta’s swashbuckling adventure “Zorro,” April 19 and 21, at the Lobero Theatre.
Premiered in 2022 at Opera Southwest, “Zorro” is based on the adventures of Johnston McCully’s dashing masked vigilante who for over a century has captured imaginations worldwide and inspired dozens of movies and television series.
The opera’s story combines heroic adventures of good vs. evil, romantic rivalries, and humorous side plots set to a lush neo-romantic score full of Latin and Hispanic musical inspirations.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the pulp fiction character Zorro,” said composer Hector Armienta. “The story of one person challenging power and injustice is a compelling story to tell.
“One of the things that is also unique about the opera is that I’ve drawn on history during the early 1800s, when Spain was losing its grip of power in the Americas and the flames of revolution were taking hold from México all the way north to California.”
The libretto, written by the composer, alternates between Spanish and English. “Like myself, many Hispanic/Latinx Americans speak both English and Spanish,” Armienta said. “Among family and friends, we go back and forth between the two languages, sometimes within the same sentence. The libretto to Zorro follows this pattern.”
Tenor Xavier Prado stars in the title role, and soprano Oriana Falla plays Ana Maria, his partner in love and revolution. They are surrounded by a cast of OSB favorites: mezzo soprano Kelly Guerra as the noble Carlotta de Obragòn, and baritone Bernardo Bermudez as the tyrannical General Moncada.
Mezzo-soprano Jessica Gonzalez-Rodriguez is Ana Maria’s wise grandmother Toypurina, while baritone Omar Rodriguez and soprano Sunwoo Park are the comic-relief couple of Sergeant Gomez and his girlfriend Luisa.
Anthony Barrese, who conducted the 2022 premiere, will lead the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra and Chorus in his company debut.
A trailer of the opera created by Opera Southwest can be found here.
Tickets for the performances ranging from $59-$159 are available through the Lobero Theatre Box Office.
Opera Santa Barbara offers a limited number of free tickets for people ages 8-18. Information on how to get them can be found here.