Tragic and comic, listen and sing

Pacific Lyric Association is running three performances of Verdi’s masterpiece Rigoletto starting on Saturday, September 20th at 7 p.m. The venue is the Escondido Center for the Performing Arts.

The remaining performances are on Friday the 26th at 7 p.m. and Sunday the 28th at 3 p.m.

The format of these productions is to have each scene introduced by dramatic narration. Pacific Lyric uses this approach instead of supertitles.

The performances are with orchestra and chorus and are fully staged and costumed.

Pacific Lyric isn’t daunted by the scale of opera. In the past they have produced shows such as Bizet’s Carmen and Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.

By comparison, Rigoletto has fewer large-scale scenes but does require more principal signers.

In a different vein than Verdi’s tragic Rigoletto is Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic HMS Pinafore. Pinafore is a Bodhi Tree singalong concert to benefit the Veterans Valor Fund.

The concert is Sunday the 21st at 4 p.m. and the venue is All Soul’s Episcopal Church in Point Loma.

The sing along format is interesting because it’s Gilbert and Sullivan. We’re used to Handel’s Messiah sing alongs or maybe a Mozart Requiem but Gilbert and Sullivan is rare.

The lead roles are performed by soloists with the audience singing the chorus sections.