The Lyric Opera of Chicago hypnotized the midwestern audience with beauty, drama, and virtuoso, on opening night, November 1. The two classic operas: Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci mirrored each other in storyline, but they brought their own unique charms.

“Cavalleria rusticana” had an elegant backdrop as it told the story of a lovers dealing with infidelity and unexpected pregnancy. A quaint 19th century village in Calabria is turned upside down on Easter Sunday when Santuzza (Yulia Matochkina) starts searching for her lover, Turiddu (Seokjong Baek). While the town is fully immersed in holy holiday celebrations, Santuzza is in agony at the thought of her lover leaving her for his married first love, Lola (Camille Robles). She pleaded with his mother Mamma Lucia (Lauren Decker) and Turiddu to accept her into their family, especially with a baby in the way. Turiddu harshly rejected her in favor of Lola.

Meanwhile, Lola is elated with the return of her husband Alfio and the presence of her secret lover, Turiddu. Lola remains delusional in thinking she’s doing nothing wrong by accepting both of their hearts. Her husband Alfio (Quinn Kelsey) becomes insanely jealous when he discovers his wife has been romanced by another man. (Thanks to the tip by the scorned Santuzza.) Alfio vowed to get even and challenged Turiddu to a duel. The husband wins, and the grim announcement of Turiddu’s death fills the village.

“Cavalleria rusticana” had a stunning backdrop of a city street. The entire area is alive and full of praise on Easter Sunday. This piece is particularly religious focused with songs about worship, sins, and punishment. The cast did an incredible job evoking emotion in each scene. From the pain of unrequited love to the heartbreaking betrayal, the cast felt it all and made sure we did too.

“Pagliacci” turned the audience’s attention to a traveling group of comedic actors. During postwar Italy, leader Canio (Russell Thomas) arrived with his wife Nedda (Gabriella Reyes), friend Tonio (Quinn Kelsey), and the rest of the team. He announced the details about their first show and gave the town a preview. Once the residents disperse, the real story began.

Canio is devoted to Nedda, and he had no idea she is cheating on him with Silvio (Luke Sutliff.) After she abruptly rejected the romantic advances of Tonio, her real lover, Silvio, appeared. In the middle of their romantic moment, Tonio caught them and proceeded to confront Silvio. Unable to locate him, Tonio threatened Nedda that he’ll expose her affair.

Later, everyone is in costume and performing a comedy show that eerily mirrors the real life romantic entanglements of the performers. Nedda played a cheating wife, and Canio is a jealous husband. Unlike the happy ending the play promised, Canio discovered that his wife is indeed cheating and fatally punished her and her lover on stage in front of a horrified audience.

“Pagliacci” had a more mature theme with a love scene included in the piece. However, the dramatic acting and smooth vocals were exceptional. Like “Cavalleria rusticana,” it was easy to empathize with the characters longing and pain, because the performers wore their hearts on their sleeves. “Pagliacci” enjoyed the longest standing ovation of the night. It solidified the audience’s pure adoration of the story.

A special nod to conductor Enrique Mazzola and the superb orchestra who entertained with all of the wonderful music. I highly recommend everyone go see “Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci.”

“Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci,” which is performed entirely in Italian with English subtitles, will be playing through November 23rd, 2025 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

A special thanks to the Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Silverman Group for the opportunity to review the opera.