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Feel the Figaro at Opera Las Vegas’ ‘The Barber of Seville’

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The Metropolitan Opera’s Renée Tatum plays Rosina in Opera Las Vegas’ production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville this weekend.

In terms of prolificacy, Gioachino Rossini was the Stephen King of his day, churning out 39 operas in two decades, among them The Barber of Seville, which, like so many others, was devoured by his rabid fanbase. The two-act comic opera by the early-19th-century Italian composer includes all the hilarity, trickery and fawning one might want when a disguised count seeks to win the love of a captive young woman set to wed a doctor.

Recognized for its lively music, including “Largo al factotum” (and all its Figaros), The Barber of Seville remains one of Rossini’s most popular works and a perfect choice for audiences new to opera. Opera Las Vegas presents it this weekend at UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theatre under the direction of Henry Price. Guest soloists include tenor Victor Ryan Robertson as Count Almaviva, baritone Daniel Elijah Sutin as Figaro the barber, Peter Strummer as Dr. Bartolo, bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos (LA Opera, Metropolitan Opera) as Don Basilio, and Renée Tatum (Metropolitan Opera) as Rosina.

The Barber of Seville June 6, 7:30 p.m. & June 8, 2 p.m.; $55-$95. Judy Bayley Theatre, 702-895-2787.

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