The Oviedo Opera and Unicaja, accompanied by several of the show's artists, today presented Rigolerdo, a new in-house production for audiences aged seven and above, with which both institutions renew their commitment to promoting opera and educating new audiences.
Rigolerdo is the new youth show created by the Oviedo Opera, conceived as a musical comedy that pays tribute to the lyrical genre through humour. The work takes recognisable moments from the operatic genre as its starting point and delves into the ins and outs of the backstage of a theatre company.
Its main character, Rigolerdo, factotum of a fictional company called La Grandonna, suffers an accident on stage and is caught between life, death... and opera itself. From there, a series of crazy encounters ensues with characters as peculiar as a civil servant Death specialising in artists, a Valkyrie determined to take him to Valhalla, and a meddlesome librettist who further complicates his situation.
With a lively pace, humour and numerous nods to the classical repertoire, Rigolerdo is presented as a burlesque celebration of the world of opera and a proposal designed to arouse the curiosity of new audiences and encourage young people and families to approach the genre.
The production, with a script by Pachi Poncela, features a cast consisting of Josep M. Riera in the role of Rigolerdo, Ana Santos as Death, Arantxa Fernández as Leobrujilda and Carlos Mesa in the role of Mariano.
Maite García Heres is responsible for stage direction, while Lorena Viedma is responsible for set design and assistant directing. Lighting design is by Alfonso Malanda, costumes by Susana de Dios, and stage management and props by Alba Delgado Arronte.
Thanks to the collaboration with the Oviedo School of Art, several of its students have participated in the creation of some of the elements that form part of the set.
The president of the Oviedo Opera, Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Ovejero, stressed that "it is very important that an organisation such as Unicaja is committed to promoting culture and opera and that it is involved in initiatives to promote opera, which are so important for the Foundation, with audiences that we need to win over. It is a sign of its commitment to Asturias and its sensitivity to enriching the society in which it is based".
For her part, the Area manager of Unicaja in Asturias Centro, Ana Fonseca, stressed that "it is an honour to collaborate once again with the Oviedo Opera on such a beautiful and motivating initiative as bringing opera to younger audiences." She also emphasised the bank's commitment to Asturias, noting that "we will continue to collaborate with institutions that add value to culture, society and the development of our territories".
The opera will be performed this Friday 5 at the Teatro Filarmónica in Oviedo, in two sessions, at 5.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at a price of €10 and €12 at the Teatro Campoamor box office and via the Oviedo Opera website www.operaoviedo.com.
