Falstaff

Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Arrigo Boito

2010

Seattle Opera

Creative Team:

Conductor: Riccardo Frizza
Set Designer: Donald Eastman
Costume Designer: Anna Björnsdóttir
Lighting Designer: Connie Yun
Hair and Makeup Designer: Joyce Degenfelder

Cast:

Sir John Falstaff: Peter Rose / Eduardo Chama
Ford: Weston Hurt / David Won
Fenton: Blagoj Nacoski
Dott. Cajus: Doug Jones
Bardolfo: Steven Goldstei
Pistola: Ashraf Sewailam
Mrs. Alice Ford: Svetla Vassileva / Sally Wolf
Nannetta: Anya Matanovic
Mrs. Quickly: Stephanie Blythe
Mrs. Meg Page: Sasha Cooke
L'oste della Giarrettiera: David Smith Larsen

There are opera productions that are faithful to the spirit of the work, yet tell us nothing about it that we didn’t already know. Then there are those, regrettably often these days, that rank the directorial quest for “originality” before anything composer and librettist may have had in mind. Peter Kazaras’s genius (a word I do not use lightly) is to employ genuinely original–even seemingly outrageous–ideas to set the true message of an opera before us in a new and utterly arresting light.
— Seen and Heard International

Director’s Talk

Stage Director Peter Kazaras says Falstaff is a "celebration of theater." Watch Kazaras in action in exclusive rehearsal footage.

Director’s Talk

General Director Speight Jenkins joins Peter Kazaras to discuss how Falstaff is different from so many of Verdis other operas. Footage includes previous performances of Stephanie Blythe and Peter Rose.

Photo Credit: Rozarii Lynch

2007

Seattle Opera

Young Artists Program

Creative Team:

Conductor: Dean Williamson
Set Designer: Donald Eastman
Costume Designer: Cynthia Savage
Lighting Designer: Connie Yun
Hair & Makeup Designer: Danyale Cook

Cast:

Dr. Caius: Ted Schmitz
Sir John Falstaff: Michael Anthony McGee / Joshua Jeremiah
Bardolph: Jared Rogers
Pistol: Marc Webster
Mrs. Meg Page: Sasha Cooke
Mrs. Alice Ford: Holly Boaz / Caitlin Lynch
Mistress Quickly: Teresa Herold
Nannetta: Ani Maldjian / Anya Matanovic
Fenton: Marcus Shelton / Noah Baetge
Ford: Jonathan Lasch / David Lara

Peter Kazaras approached Falstaff with a clear emphasis on theatrical simplicity and ensemble-driven storytelling, drawing inspiration from Shakespearean staging. His direction used a stripped-down visual environment to focus attention on character, language, and interaction, allowing the comedy to emerge through precision and timing rather than excess. By incorporating visible theatrical devices and onstage transformation, Kazaras created a playful and immediate connection with the audience, resulting in a lively and imaginative interpretation grounded in performance.

Photo Credit: Rozarii Lynch