La rondine
La Rondine (The Swallow), Puccini’s underrated gem, is the story of Magda, a Parisian courtesan who dreams of a simpler life. A poignant meditation on love, illusion, and the price of self-knowledge.
If you love opera, you’ll love this show. Good Mess Opera has assembled a stellar cast of local and national singers! Not only was the singing beautifully done but the show was well acted. As always, the show was beautifully played by Spencer. For something a little different, go see this western Canadian premiere of this Puccini gem.
A Must-See Fringe Show! Cassandra and Elias are rising opera stars—truly phenomenal talents who blew me away with their performances. If you're into bubbles and dramatic love stories (and who isn't?), this opera is a perfect pick. Sawyer and Jeremy were hilarious and absolutely adorable, playing off each other with perfect comedic timing. The rest of the cast stayed fully committed and in character throughout, adding depth and energy to every scene. Special shoutout to Spencer, who was an incredibly effective orchestra and music director—his leadership brought the whole production together seamlessly. Don’t miss this one!
This is a wonderful chance to experience a rarely performed Puccini opera with an excellent group of musicians. The singers were very strong, and the pianist outdid himself. Definitely a must-see for opera lovers at the Fringe!
A Night of Talent
This La Rondine proves that behind every enchanting swallow is an equally enchanting crew. This light opera, written by Giacomo Puccini, directed by Amanda Testini, and presented by the Good Mess Opera Theatre, is brought to life with thoughtful direction and a passionate musical team. Their incredible musicality turns this bittersweet romance into an intimate, captivating experience that highlights the charm and subtle drama of the story.
The story follows a Parisian courtesan, named Magda, who longs for true love. Under the identity of a regular girl named Paulette, she meets Rugerro, and they fall deeply in love. Of course, it’s not that easy to drop a life that has been built, and it comes to haunt Magda. This beautifully written story shows how complicated love can be and the difficult choices that come with it.
From the live music by music director Spencer Kryzanowski and Aemelia Moser to the extraordinary voices of Cassandra Amorim and Elias Theocharidis, this light opera is brought to life to deliver a heart-wrenching story to the audience. Aemelia Moser, also known as Yvette, showcases her beautiful talents through voice and violin. Cassandra Amorim and Elias Theocharidis truly encapsulate the rollercoaster of emotions of their characters and present an undeniable yet amazing stage presence and chemistry together. Sawyer Craig and Jeremy Scinocca, as Lisette and Prunier, bring the audience comedic relief after scene after scene of tension. Each and every cast member brought something to the table, and they delivered it with beauty, grace, and irrefutable talent.
Good Mess Opera has assembled a vocally skilled cast and impressive Maestro to lead the western Canadian premiere of Puccini’s La Rondine. There’s English subtitles so you’ll understand all the Italian being sung. It is rare to see opera with a full ensemble these days and their party scene was just buzzing with excellent solo and ensemble singing from all actors. The energy and singing is effervescent, sensitive, and moving!
What an excellent little production of this really approachable, lovely opera. The cast was fantastic, fun and really generous with each other. The modest set worked just fine to set the tone. A big, big shout out to soprano playing the role of Magda. This is a stunning voice, just gorgeous. She is a thoughtful, sensitive performer and handled this repertoire with such skill. In fact this entire cast was delightful and all of them are very vocally skilled, not a weak voice in the bunch. Several of them have really good comedic chops, which is not always the case in small indie opera groups. This show is worth the price of admission, the time flew.
Puccini himself would be thrilled to hear this talented bunch perform his comic opera. This is a story about love, lies, and heartbreak. This cast does a terrific job of conveying all of the complicated characters’ emotions while sharing their extraordinary voices with the audience. The Gateway venue is, perhaps, better suited to an actual play, but the Good Mess Company makes it work in such an efficient way that the audience chuckles their way through the show entertained for the full 90 minutes. If you are not familiar with opera this is a great way to dip your toe into the genre.