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Mirth in Venice Toronto
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Jane Mallett Theatre
04/17/2026 - & 18, 19 April, 2026
Johann Strauss Jr : A Night in Venice
Jeremy Scinocca (Coximo, Duke of Urbino), Sean Curran (Senator Delacqua), Andrea Núnez (Annina), Ryan Downey (Caramello), Marcus Tranquilli (Pappacoda), Meghan Symon (Agricola), Anna O’Drowsky (Nina), Madeline Cooper (Ciboletta), Alice Macgregor (Barbara), Amanda Vallejos (Fiordiligi), Austin Larusson (Senator Barbaruccio), Everly Conrad-Baldwin (Senator Fontana), Conor Glossop (Senator Testaccio)
Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Orchestra, Kate Carver (conductor)
Guillermo Silva-Marin (stage director, sets & lighting), Thunder Thighs (costumes)
A. Núnez (© Gary Beechey [BDS Studios])
First staged in Berlin, Eine Nacht in Venedig (1883) is the only operetta by Johann Strauss Jr not to have premiered in Vienna, though its debut in the City of Music soon followed weeks later. Despite its alluring tunes, critics lambasted its nonsensical libretto. Nonetheless, somewhat bafflingly it remains one of Strauss’s most popular operettas. Some surmise the unusual choice of premiering the operetta in Berlin, the capital of the increasingly ascending Prussia (and as of 1871, Germany), is the reason for the work’s excessive levity. Afterall, Strauss was Viennese, and his native city was at that time the center of the German-speaking world that was progressively rivaled by Berlin after Prussia’s 1866 victory over Austria in the Austro-Prussian War. The Viennese felt Berlin was a parvenue and possibly Strauss felt it necessary to lower the dramatic level for the German capital. Indeed, of all Strauss’s operettas, Eine Nacht in Venedig has the most hints of vaudeville and even foreshadows Broadway. Despite its fetching tunes, it is decidedly less schmaltzy than a typical Viennese operetta. Incidentally, it was as a result of the Austro-Prussian War that Austria lost Venice (and the surrounding region of Veneto) to the young Kingdom of Italy.
The operetta’s convoluted story involves Venetian senators, led by a certain Delacqua, plotting to snatch the rich womaniser, the Duke of Urbino, who arrives in Venice for the Carnival and to seduce women. As he seemed smitten by the previous year’s Queen of the Carnival that he had chosen, they hope he may decide to marry this year’s Queen and hence move with his fortune to their debt‑ridden city. However, the previous year’s Queen was Nina, Delacqua’s ward that he plans to marry. A further complication is that the womanising Duke would have to mend his ways and choose matrimony. Among the other protagonists are Pappacoda, a pasta cook; his fiancée, the fishmonger Annina; Caramello, the Duke’s barber; his fiancée Ciboletta; and the bossy widow and intriguer Agricola, intent on marrying Senator Delaqua.
Agricola and her friends outmanoeuvre the senators and manage to have the Duke meet and choose Nina. The operetta ends happily with four weddings: the Duke and Nina; Caramello and Ciboletta; Pappacoda and Annina; and Agricola with Senator Delacqua.
Mercifully, the amended libretto was more compact in this production, with the operetta’s three acts reduced to two, lending it more dramatic cohesion. As is the tradition of the Toronto Operetta Theatre, the work was performed in English, and mercifully, the translation was clear enough not to require surtitles. Partially due to the small stage, the sets were appropriately modest. Given that the location is Venice, much could have been done without excessive expense. Nevertheless, thanks to intelligent direction and the natural movement of the singers, the sparse sets were not an impediment to our enjoyment.
Acting matters a good deal in operetta, and in this respect, the cast – without exception – were remarkable. Anna O’Drowsky was a touching ingénue, innocent, yet determined to get her man. Tenor Marcus Tranquilli had charisma to spare as the pasta cook and ambulant vendor Pappacoda. As he avoided excessive buffoonery, he managed to be truly funny in drag as one of the candidates for the title of Queen of Carnival. Likewise, tenor Ryan Downey was a charismatic Caramello, the Duke’s barber. Sean Curran was a convincing Senator Delacqua, more contemporary politician than nobleman. Despite her limited role, mezzo Meghan Symon was a memorable and redoubtable Agricola, a true menace.
Soprano Andrea Núnez stood out as fishmonger Annina, thanks to a more cultivated voice than most of her colleagues. Heard in Montreal in 2023 as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni last October, she was vocally inadequate in both. She was vastly better as Musetta in La bohème last season. In operetta, where acting and charisma are paramount, Núnez seems to have found her niche, given her immense talent as an actress. She was charm personified in her Act I aria “Fresh from the ocean” (“Seht, Oh Seht!...Frutti di mare”).
Tenor Jeremy Scinocca brilliantly portrayed the womanising Duke of Urbino, charming and aristocratic. He impressed with his secure high notes and beautiful timbre. His tuneful Act II aria “Ninana” (“Ninana, Ninana, hier will ich singen”), which soon transforms into an ensemble piece, was the most memorable moment of the show.
Despite its modest size, the orchestra faithfully represented Strauss’s score. Kate Carver’s tempi were not excessively fast, a frequent pitfall for many conducting operetta. Given that some of the performers didn’t benefit from hefty operatic voices, Carver was attentive and supportive to the singers. Thanks to Strauss’s music and Guillermo Silva‑Marin’s good taste, intelligence and theatrical élan, this was an utterly enjoyable evening.
Ossama el Naggar
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