MANON LESCAUT – PUCCINI
Presented on Apr 4, 6, 8, 13, 16 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin and on Apr 26, 29 at the Opera House Cork as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Spring Season
Maria Luisa Garbato – Manon
Doro Antonioli – des Grieux
Attilio d’Orazi – Lescaut
Miguel Chimienti – Geronte
Peter Richfield – Edmond / Lamplighter
Brendan Cavanagh – Dancing Master
Patricia Bardon – Singer
John Carney – Sergeant
Peter McBrien – Captain
Napoleone Annovazzi – Conductor
Dario Micheli – Producer
THE OPERA WAS ALSO GIVEN IN CORK:
Attilio D’Orazi … in his 25th year with the society [showed] his versatility as a singer and was a decided asset. He sang Sharpless in “Madama Butterfly” with Micie Akisada in the name part. Paddy Ryan’s direction was lauded by the majority of the critics. Irish artists Mary Sheridan, Peter Marien, Brendan Cavanagh, Frank O’Brien and Sean Mitten again played prominent parts in that season and by now had become almost indispensible to the society. Strangely, the week in Cork proved disappointing financially with bookings well down on previous years. Monica Condron was to state later, ‘It was quite clear that “Rigoletto” could have been staged for the whole six nights of the week.’
(Extracted from “Love and Music: The Glorious History of the Dublin Grand Opera Society” by Gus Smith, 1998)
More information for this production (including any surviving production photographs, press reviews and links to other content) will be added in due course as time allows – check the home page for an updated progress report on uploading.
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