Gaetano Donizetti’s 1832 opera buffa is one of the most beloved works of the bel canto composer. In 1997, director Omri Nitzan envisioned a production of L’elisir d’amore for the Israeli Opera, relocating the story to a sunny kibbutz in Israel. Ruth Dar designed a beautiful set full of sunflowers and orange trees, and the production, which included flying paratroopers, achieved iconic status. Since then, it has returned to the stage a few times, both in Israel and elsewhere, and has acquired numerous fans. You can catch it on YouTube.
The new season at the Tel Aviv Opera opened with the same famous and still radiant sunflowers. However, it is not Omri Nitzan’s production, but an homage to the director, who died in 2021. The sunflowers and the pink convertible driven by Dr. Dulcamara were borrowed from Ruth Dar’s original design, but the direction is all new. Alas, it’s a complete mess.
Director Shirit Lee Weiss constantly moves the choir and the singers, as well as silent actors and dancers, around the stage, aiming for an energetic comedy. But none of it makes sense. Instead of a light touch, it all feels labored, graceless, and completely hollow. Particularly annoying was the doctor’s wife, Mrs. Dulcamara, a silent character not written by Donizetti and his librettist Felice Romani but invented by Nitzan back in 1997. Weiss chose to keep this character, who prances around in a blond wig and big white glasses, attracting attention for no apparent reason. She was probably meant to get laughs, but she didn’t.
The performance begins with a couple of kids who turn out to be young versions of the central couple—Adina, who runs things, and the simple peasant Nemorino, who is in love with her. There are also a couple of dancers who seem to be another incarnation of Adina and Nemorino—they wear identical clothes—but the production doesn’t do anything interesting with this overused idea.
As portrayed by Yael Levita, Adina isn’t a very charismatic character, and it is unclear why Nemorino, as well as army sergeant Belcore, is infatuated with her. However, they are, and as she doesn’t return Nemorino’s love, the desperate guy buys the “love potion” offered by the devious “doctor.” And when it doesn’t work, he buys another bottle—he is that naive. The witty twist is that even though it’s a scam, it somehow all works out, and the silly boy gets the girl. Well, woman.
For the audience to develop sympathy for the hopelessly in love country bumpkin who chases Adina around, he needs to have an enchanting tenor voice. Mario Rojas, who played Nemorino on the evening I watched the performance, has a pleasant enough voice, but more than once, he missed a note. All would have been forgiven had he sung the famous aria “Una furtiva lagrima” beautifully. But when the moment came, he didn’t rise to the challenge.
Baritone Michael Schwarze, who sang the role of the cavalier sergeant Belcore, was quite dashing in his blond wig, his tone, often lacked projection and clarity, resulting in a somewhat muffled sound that struggled to carry over the orchestra. Romanian baritone Ionut Pascu was better as the crook Dulcamara, who clearly enjoys his craft. he delighted the audience by peppering his lines with some Hebrew words, which added a local flair and drew appreciative reactions. The true vocal highlight of the production was soprano Yael Levita as Adina. In the second act, particularly when the stage activity calmed and allowed her space to shine, Levita’s voice soared with purity and warmth. Her upper register was both powerful and controlled, showcasing her technical skill and emotional nuance. The clear, lyrical quality of her soprano captured Adina’s playful yet independent spirit, though the overall impact was hampered by the absence of palpable chemistry between her and Mario Rojas. This lack of connection between the leads deprived the romantic core of the story of its needed tenderness and depth, leaving the comedy feeling somewhat hollow.
The orchestra, conducted by Itay Berckovitch, was good enough. The chorus also sounded fine, and more than once, I was tempted to close my eyes and just listen. If the idea of the production was truly to pay homage to Omri Nitzan (and not just save money by using the old set), maybe they should have just brought back his original production as is.
The Israeli Opera Tel-Aviv-Yafo האופרה הישראלית תל-אביב-יפו
Opera
Music by Gaetano Donizetti (1797 – 1848)
Director: Shirit Lee Weiss
Set and Costumes Designer: Ruth Dar
Conductor: Itay Berckovitch
Sung in Italian with Hebrew and English surtitles
Cast includes Yael Levita, Mario Rojas, Michael Schwarze, Ionut Pascu
Running time: 2hrs 45mins including interval