Stage Door News

Toronto: Toronto Operetta Theatre presents Johann Stauss Jr.’s “The Gypsy Baron” December 28 to January 5

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss will be presented in full production at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts opening on Dec. 28 with subsequent performances on Dec 29 (mat at 3 pm), 31, 2019 & Jan. 3 and 5, 2020 (mat at 3 pm).   “The Gypsy Baron is one of the Waltz King’s undoubted masterpieces from operetta’s Golden Age in Vienna,” said TOT’s General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin, “and it is always a pleasure to revisit this wonderful score, especially with our cast of remarkably gifted young Canadian vocalists.”  

TOT favourite Michael Barrett stars as Barinkay - the Gypsy Baron himself - in love with Saffi, sung by TOT newcomer Meghan Lindsay.  TOT’s beautiful Helen, Beste Kalender returns as Czipra, the Gypsy Fortune teller.  Michael was last seen on the TOT stage in Operettts - The Three Operetta Tenors!.  Our debutante this season is Meghan Lindsay who has appeared with Odyssey Opera in Boston and was most recently heard in Toronto as Donna Anna in Opera Atelier’s Don Giovanni.  After Czipra in TOT’s Gypsy Baron, Beste looks forward to the Old Lady in Edmonton Opera’s Candide.  Karen Bojti will be heard as Mirabella with Daniela Agostino as Arsena, Cian Horrobin as Count Homonay, Austin Larusson as Carnero, Joshua Clemenger as Zsupan and Edward Larocque as Ottokar.  The COC’s Derek Bate conducts the TOT Orchestra and Chorus Ensemble, with stage direction by Silva-Marin.

The Gypsy Baron premiered at Theatre an der Wien in 1885 and has been at the heart of Vienna’s Volksoper repertoire for more than a hundred years.  Based on Jokai Mor’s story Saffi, the operetta is an unequalled coupling of Viennese musical charm and Magyar colourations with rousing arias, beautiful love duets and rambunctious calls to arms from a dashing recruiting officer.  The Gypsy Baron was received with enormous acclaim in Vienna and Budapest and very likely helped smooth the political waters of the duelling monarchies until the end of the empire. 

TOT’s budget-priced FAMILY NIGHT OUT offers discounts of up to 50% for children and youth under 16 years of age on Friday and Saturday performances.

Toronto Operetta Theatre is grateful for the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, the Jackman Foundation, and the Dalglish Family, Bedolfe and Mary-Margaret Webbfoundations and counts among its partners and media sponsors Classical 96.3 FM and EPOCH Times.  All performances take place at the wheelchair-accessible St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, situated in the downtown theatre district, close to public transit and municipal parking.  For ticket information, call the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts at 416-366-7723, 1-800-708-6754 or online at www.stlc.com.

Photo: Michael Barrett.