Opera Tampa re-re-configures its upcoming season

Hope springs eternal, and back in the spring – April, to be precise – Opera Tampa general director Judith Lisi was expecting to clear Covid by the end of 2020, and had announced an amended 2020-21 season that would start, in Ferguson Hall, in January.

Ah, the optimism of the early days.

That’s all changed now, and since the Straz Center (ground zero for Opera Tampa) has been having success with limited-seating outdoor concert performances, the “new” Opera Tampa Season has been announced for the Riverwalk Stage.

The Pirates of Penzance (which was fully rehearsed, produced and about to open when the pandemic began), Il Trovatore and Madama Butterfly have been canceled, although music from each will make an appearance at one spring show or another. The “reimagined” season, now called Opera Tampa LIVE, looks like this:

Gilbert vs. Sullivan, Jan. 22-24.

Valentine’s Engagement, Feb. 12-14.

Troubadour’s Tale, March 19-21.

Butterfly’s Flight, April 22-25.

“As we look toward the fast-approaching New Year, we have been contemplating the further effects of the coronavirus on the upcoming opera season and are determined to bring our audiences a safe season which we know we can deliver,” Lisi said in a media release.

“We’ve been inspired by the wild success of all of the performances which we have presented on our lush campus outside on our Riverwalk Stage – from silly Shakespeare to operatic witches all surrounded by the natural beauty of the river and sunsets that we couldn’t have staged any better.”

All tickets and additional details are here.