Chicago Opera Theater Announces Chicago Premiere of LA HIJA DE RAPPACCINI

As COVID-19 restrictions continue, Chicago Opera Theater has announced an update to its digital production slated for April 24, 2021. Instead of the previously announced Il Postino, COT will now offer the Chicago premiere of La hija de Rappaccini, also by Daniel Catán, based on a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

This staged Spanish-language opera will feature native Spanish speakers in principal roles and on the creative team, with Latinx director Crystal Manich and conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez, both making company debuts, at the helm.

With remarkably timely plot threads like scientific innovation and love at a distance, La hija will be live-streamed from the Field Museum, world-renowned for its work in the natural sciences. The stunning hanging gardens in the main hall will be lowered to create the setting for this tale of botanical experimentation.

Brief synopsis: Dr. Rappaccini isolates his daughter Beatriz in an exotic garden overflowing with remarkable, but deadly, flowers. After glimpsing her beauty from his apartment window, a young medical student falls in love - but a dark secret threatens their romance. Rappaccini has been testing his toxic botanicals on Beatriz, and she has become poisonous to the touch.

Starring Levi Hernandez as Rappaccini, alongside COT debutants Daniel Montenegro as Giovanni and Megan Pachecano as Beatriz. Composed by Daniel Catán (1949-2011), with a libretto by Juan Tovar, based on the play by Octavio Paz and the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Performed in Spanish with English subtitles, La hija de Rappaccini premieres April 24, 2021, at 7:30pm via Valhalla Media Live. Tickets are available for purchase until 7:30pm on Tuesday, April 27, at cot.org/hija. Ticket-holders will have 72 hours to stream the opera.

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