Pagliacci - MN Opera - May 2026

Pagliacci

Program Cover

Music and Libretto by Ruggero Leonavallo

Review By Ernest Edwards

MN Opera is closing out their 2025/2026 season at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts with their production of Pagliacci. 

One of the things I really like with this opera is the run time. Including the intermission it’s about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Even on an opening Saturday night, that run time can be music to one’s ears.  I have nothing against shows that range from 2-1/2 hours, to 3 hours to 4 hours. It’s nice, once in a while to have such a short run time. Downtown St. Paul was crazy last night, with the watch party for The MN Wild’s playoff game at the same time as the MN Opera production.

In addition to the vocal talent, what I really liked with this opera was the scenery. There was a reason they kept the curtain closed before the show began. The scenery contained the cars from a traveling circus inside of a warehouse. For this production they began the story in the 1970’s and then went back in time to the 1930’s for the main parts of the story. 

So many great vocals and talent with this cast. Amanda Batista as Nedda, Won Whi Choi as Canio, David Wolfe as Silvio and Reginald Smith Jr as Tonio. 

This production is rich in visuals, with both the costumes and scenery. While this opera is beautiful in many ways, the story has a tragic ending. 

This gorgeous production runs through May 17, 2026. Check out www.mnopera.org for tickets. 

Edgar In Concert - MN Opera - April 2026

Edgar in Concert

Program Cover

Music by Giacomo Puccini, Libretto by Ferdinando Fontana

Review By Ernest Edwards

Over the weekend the MN Opera presented the Puccini opera Edgar as a concert. I have never seen Edgar before, but I really liked how the stage was set up for the show. It made me think that MN Opera could do other presentations in concert too. Such as the Stephan Sondheim’s Follies, which did have a concert presentation in NYC back in the 1980’s. Kind of why that show popped in my mind. Or when the NY Philharmonic did Company as a concert presentation. Sweeney Todd has also had two concert productions that I’m aware of. The possibilities are endless. 

We did learn before the opera started that there has been no professional productions of Edgar in the USA for the past 20 years. It was truly a treat to see this MN Opera production at the Ordway in downtown St. Paul. 

I really liked how the stage was set up for this production. The five main principle performers had seats at

The stage, before the opera began. 

the front the of stage. Directly behind them was the MN Opera orchestra, In the back of the stage was the MN Opera choir on risers. Including the intermission, the run time for Edgar was around 2 hours.  

The principle performers were Karin Wolverton as Fidelia, Karen Morgan as Tigrana, John Mburu as Gualtiero, Diego Torre as Edgar, and Thomas Glass as Frank. Before the show began we learned that Diego Torre was under the weather earlier in the week and there was an understudy standing by, but Diego Torre did perform the entire show on opening night. 

As soon as Karen Morgan walked onto the stage in that red dress. I knew she was the character Tigrana. Based on the synopsis that I read in the program. 

Edgar was a wonderful two night only event. The MN Opera still has the opera Pagliacci coming up. The dates for Pagliacci are May 9 - May 17. Check out www.mnopera.org for tickets. 

My Name is Florence - MN Opera - January 2026

My Name is Florence 

Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards

I was at opening night of the World Premier of the new opera My Name is Florence. It’s part of the Minnesota Opera’s 63rd Season. We learned before the opera started that MN Opera is working on six new opera’s.  There will be a new opera per season for several seasons to come.  That will be fun! Some opera’s that have premiered through MN Opera are Grapes of Wrath, Silent Night, The Shining The Opera, and many more. This is the 51st original new opera for MN Opera.  

For this new opera. The orchestra was on stage, the area where the orchestra pit is normally located was an extended part of the stage. That brought this opera closer to the audience.  I really enjoyed the scenery designed by Eli Sherlock. Costumes by Trevor Bowen need a shout out. The story takes place between 1900 and the 1940’s. 

The story is about music prodigy Florence Beatrice.  Florence as named after her mother and taught piano by her mother. Florence also named her own daughter Florence. Florence left Little Rock for the New England Conservatory of Music.  We see the affects of American History in Little Rock Arkansas during this time period.  

Florence eventually moves to Chicago. While living in Chicago she composes her most famous work Symphony in E Minor.  Composer B.E. Boykin and Libretto by Harrison David Rivers were also present for the curtain call on opening night.  

This new opera is just under 90 minutes.  With the ice sculptures in Rice Park, it’s a fun time to be at the Ordway in downtown St. Paul.  

I really liked this new opera. The story is one to hear. The cast has wonderful voices.  For opening night there was a post show with the cast.  

My Name is Florence plays at the Ordway through February 8, 2026. Check out www.mnopera.org for tickets. 

The Stage, before the opera begins. 

Cosi Fan Tutte - MN Opera - November 2025

Cosi Fan Tutte

Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards

Cosi Fan Tutte is the first show of the 63rd Season for Minnesota Opera.  This Mozart opera is now 235 years old.  Minnesota Opera decided to do something different and let the audience vote on the ending.  I loved that.  I’ll get to that later in the review. 

Normally for MN Opera, my season tickets are for opening night. For this production, opening night coincided with the night I went to Purple Rain at the State Theatre. I ended up going to the closing weekend of Cosi Fan Tutte. 

They modernized the story to present day. Present day scenery and costumes. I liked that concept.  The opera opens in the guys apartment. Typical modern day man cave. They are playing video games, laundry is strewn all over the place, along with take out containers and boxes, and a case of beer. Then the opera transitions to the ladies office, which is where the action takes place for most of the first half of the show. It was funny watching the chorus in the office shuffle papers, sip coffee, look at laptop screens and really admire a poster on stage.  They did not steal focus, it was me keeping an eye what were they doing in the background. 

The story focuses on the relationships of sisters Dorabella & Fiordiligi and their boyfriends.  Dorabelle is with Fernando and Fiordiligi is with Geglielmo.  The guys friend Don Alfonso thinks it would be fun to test the lady’s fidelity.  The men “go away to the military” and return in disguise to woo the other’s partner. To see if the sisters will easily love another.  During intermission the audience get’s to vote. 

Based on the events of first half of the show, the audience got to vote for the ending during the intermission. Do we go with the traditional ending, where all is forgiven and the couples stay together? Or do we go with the new coupling from the games played by the guys? Or did things go too far and nothing is forgivable and the couples go their separate ways?  The cast is told backstage part way through the second act, how the audience voted.  Based on what I had seen Saturday night, it was the very ending that was changed.  I’ll tell you how the audience voted the night I went. That audience went with option 3, the couples split up.  

This was a good old fashioned opera. With a run time of 3 hours and 20 minutes. A Saturday evening is a great time for a show of that length. It felt like the first act moved a good pace. The core six actors had wonderful voices and stage presence. Angel Vargas as Fernando, John Mburu as Don Alfonso, Kara Moran as Dorabella, David Wolfe as Guglielmo, Kylie Kreucher as Fiordiligi, and Lindsay Ohse as Dephina.  

This was a fun start to the 2025/2026 season for MN Opera. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.