"L'Elisir d'Amore" ("The Elixir of Love")

Comic Opera "The Elixir of Love" at The Metropolitan Opera

"L'Elisir d'Amore" ("The Elixir of Love" is utterly charming, with music that sparkles and a playful libretto. This hit production of Donizetti's comedy is set in rural Italy, where Nemorino, performed by the acclaimed tenor Vittorio Grigolo, is mad for Adina (played by Aleksandra Kurzak), who doesn't know he exists. He'll do anything -- confess, dissemble, enlist -- to get Adina to fall in love with him. Enter the lovable quack Dr. Dulcamara, played by Alessandro Corbelli, who provides Nemorino with a "magic" potion -- the elixir of the title -- that sweeps up the lovers in a romantically comic whirlwind. Pretty Yende and Matthew Polenzani play the leads, while the baton is wielded by conductor Domingo Hindoyan and the gorgeous costumes are by six-time Tony-winning designer Catherine Zuber ("The King and I", "The Royal Family"). The opera is sung in Italian with subtitles in English, German, Italian and Spanish, and a glass of champagne or a nonalcoholic beverage is included with each ticket.