Music by Mascagni | Libretto by Targioni-Tozzetti & Menasci
Music and Libretto by Leoncavallo
February 15 – March 1, 2026
Sung in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles
Opera’s iconic double bill – two verismo tragedies, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci – brings raw passion and operatic intensity to the California Theatre. In Cavalleria Rusticana, a Sicilian village is torn apart by love and jealousy, culminating in a dramatic duel of honor, and features Mascagni’s sweeping melodies including the beloved “Intermezzo.” Including the electrifying aria “Vesti la giubba,” Pagliacci follows a traveling troupe of performers whose personal betrayals spill onto the stage, blurring the line between reality and performance. This timeless pairing features Maria Natale’s return to OSJ as Santuzza, with Kidon Choi as the intense Tonio. Celebrated composer/conductor Alma Deutscher, who conducted The Magic Flute and her own opera rendition of Cinderella at OSJ, returns to conduct, with OSJ General Director/CEO Shawna Lucey directing this thrilling double opera production.