Calgary Opera’s second offering this season is Donizetti’s fun-filled, comic opera Don Pasquale. Although it is set in Italy in the early 19th century, the opera is often presented in an updated version. Calgary opera goers with long memories may remember the previous 2002 performance set in the Old West with its hilarious scene for bathtub and tenor. This time, the updating evokes images of the 1950s, mixing references from Italian and American films during this heady period. Don Pasquale, the title character, is presented as an aging silent-era film star, with a desire to marry. His friend, Dr. Maletesta, is re-cast as a composer-director of movies. The rest of the cast is connected in some way to the world of film as aspiring movie actors and flunkies. Read More