Enjoy a dynamic blend of comedy, heart, and timeless music at Central City Opera's 2025 Festival. Rossini's The Barber of Seville brings rapid-fire wit and beloved melodies as the clever Figaro ensures love triumphs. The regional premiere of The Knock delivers a deeply moving portrait of military spouses' resilience during the Iraq War. And for a Broadway-style twist, Once Upon a Mattress enchants with its playful humor and larger-than-life characters. From opera's greatest hits to poignant new works and musical theater magic, this season promises unforgettable storytelling and spectacular singing in one of the nation's most treasured and intimate opera houses.

Schedule of Events:

11:30 am: Lunch and a Song
02:00 pm: Barber of Seville

Opera's most famous comedy
Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville is fast, funny, and full of unforgettable music. Figaro-the town's most resourceful barber-cooks up clever schemes to help true love win the day. This opera's madcap energy inspired everyone from Giuseppe Verdi to Stephen Sondheim to Bugs Bunny, and continues to charm audiences whenever it's performed.

"Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind." - Gioachino Rossini

"I cannot help believing that The Barber of Seville is the most beautiful comic opera in existence." - Giuseppe Verdi

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- Backstage Magic

7:30 pm: Mattress

Don't Sleep on this Faairytale with a Twist
Once Upon A Mattress is a hilarious, heartwarming twist on a classic fairy tale.

Packed with golden-age Broadway tunes, clever humor, and larger-than-life characters, Once Upon A Mattress offers a delightful mix of whimsy and vocal brilliance-perfect for anyone who loves music, laughter, and happily-ever-afters.

"The hilarity contained within it… is nothing less than inspired." - Huffington Post

"Once Upon a Mattress offers laughs galore" - New York Stage Review

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