Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) at Memorial Union

Welcome everyone! After the emotional devastation of "La bohème", we are going with something a little lighter for our first show of 2026.

The Barber of Seville, or the Useless Precaution ("Il Barbiere di Siviglia, ossia l'inutile precauzione") is the unofficial prequel to "The Marriage of Figaro" which some of you saw at UW last November.

"Il Barbiere" is a wacky romantic comedy, and one of the most iconic titles out there: if you went out on the street and asked random passers-by to name tunes and characters from the opera, one of the most recognized would certainly be Figaro, the titular Barber of Seville. (When you're being spoofed by Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry you know you've made it into the mainstream.)

Years before his own Marriage, Figaro was using his bag of tricks to help the Count Almaviva to woo Rosina right under the nose of her tyrannical guardian, Doctor Bartolo. We'll be watching the 2007 Metropolitan Opera production with Peter Mattei, Joyce DiDonato, and Juan Diego Florez.

Guests welcome. Mark your calendars for Sunday the 15th, and stay tuned for updates on the exact location!