🗓️ 17–20 May 2023 | 📍 Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, North Yorkshire, UK

“Chris Charlton-Mathews, making his directing debut with the company, provides just the tonic we all need as the sap begins to rise again post-pandemic”

— Martin Dreyer, York Evening Press

In May 2023, York Opera returned with a vibrant, joyful production of Gaetano Donizetti’s comic masterpiece L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love), blending 19th-century Italian charm with post-war 1940s flair. Packed with laughter, lyrical beauty, and heartfelt romance, this colourful staging brought the beloved opera to life for enthusiastic York audiences.

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About the Opera

Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love is a two-act comic opera first performed in 1832. It tells the story of Nemorino, a shy young villager hopelessly in love with the clever and independent Adina. When the flamboyant travelling doctor Dulcamara sells him a "love potion" (really just cheap wine), hilarity and heartbreak unfold.

With arias like the famous "Una furtiva lagrima", and richly melodic ensembles, this opera is one of Donizetti’s finest — known for its warmth, wit, and unforgettable tunes.

York Opera and the community

This production marked the company debut of director Chris Charlton-Mathews and featured an all-local cast, bringing together professional-level talent from York and the surrounding region. The opera was reimagined in a post-WWII Italian village — a playful but poignant backdrop that resonated with audiences and showcased the creative spirit of York’s operatic community.rkshire.

York Opera’s Interpretation

Director Chris Charlton-Mathews set the opera in 1940s rural Italy, during the final days of World War II. The village became a timeless community navigating love, pride, and propaganda — with American GIs, local gossip, and spiv-like salesmanship blending seamlessly with Donizetti’s score.

Steve Griffiths’s musical direction brought out the lyricism and rhythmic brilliance of the score, while the production’s period costumes, painted sets, and warm lighting added nostalgic flair.