New Jersey Lyric Opera Festival Brings Four Classics To West Windsor

WEST WINDSOR, NJ — If you’ve ever wanted to spend a weekend with some of opera’s biggest classics, Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre has four performances lined up for you. The Kelsey Theatre is located at 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor Township.

New Jersey Lyric Opera returns to the West Windsor campus for its fourth consecutive Summer Opera Festival, bringing four classic operas to the stage Friday to Saturday, which include Il Trovatore, The Pearl Fishers, Romeo and Juliet, and The Barber of Seville.

The festival opens Friday at 7:30 p.m. with Verdi’s Il Trovatore, which features a dramatic love triangle story, a mysterious curse and a shocking ending, complete with the famous “Anvil Chorus.”

Saturday brings two performances, beginning at 2 p.m. with Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, an immersive summer ocean story where two mens’ vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the soon-to-be priestess, Leila. Eve Edwards, John Villemaire, Cruz Roger Romero and Ian Joyal are featured.

The secondary day of the festival continues with Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, his operatic take on Shakespeare’s famous tale of star-crossed lovers. The opera features a stellar cast that includes Samual Keeler, Natasha Scheuble, Timothy Kjer, Chaka Allen, Alicia Melendez, Ian Joyal, Shannon Lally, Leo Leuci, Cruz Roger Romero, Drew Russell Duboff, Michael Serra, Jenna Simm and Rebecca Shimer.

The festival ends Sunday at 2 p.m. with Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, a comedic classic featuring the famous Figaro aria. Featured performers include Devin McGuire, John Villemaire, Chaka Allen, Brittany Morgan, Tristan Cano, Timothy Kjer, Rebecca Shimer, Tim Faulkner, Ian Joyal, Devin McGuire, Sarah Joseph and Olympia Raine Calkins.

Tickets are $28 per performance, or $100 for all four. Tickets are available through the Kelsey Theatre website or by calling (609) 570-3333.

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