By Pauline Cotman

“Campy” isn’t a word that’s often used in the same sentence as “opera,” but Florida Grand Opera’s fun-filled season opener, El matrimonio secreto (The Secret Marriage), is set in a 1980s South Beach hotel. What could be campier than that? The updated version of Domenico Cimarosa’s 1792 hit comedy has gotten a Miami makeover worthy of one of its Art Deco gems. It’s been translated from the original Italian into what Dominican conductor and composer Darwin Aquino and his wife, Italian mezzo-soprano Benedetta Orsi lovingly call “Espanenglish,” a Spanish sprinkled with phrases and a few English words they say will be familiar to the South Florida Latin community. And then there’s that 80s twist.

FGO General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis came up with the idea to update while observing a Cuban bridal party in a beauty salon. To offset the patriarchal overtones of the plot, she hired a female stage director and set her up with a “posse” of Cuban women of various ages and walks of life to advise her.

 “Involving Cuban-American women of various ages and backgrounds (as advisors) really did change the story,” says Danis. “The 80s were one of the biggest times of influx for the Cuban community. They talked about the entrepreneurial spirit of the community and how hard they worked to establish their new lives here. It was important to center that in this story.”

Thus, the original Florence merchant’s villa became the Hotel Paraiso, the family business of Geronimo, his widowed sister Fidalma, and his two daughters, Elisetta and Carolina. Unbeknownst to her papa, Carolina has married an employee, Paolino. To mitigate Geronimo’s inevitable anger, Paolino is attempting to arrange a match between Elisetta and the wealthy American, Count Robinson. However, Fidalma wants Paolino for herself and Count Robinson prefers Carolina to Elisetta. Musical mayhem ensues.

Cimarosa was a contemporary of Mozart, and his music is very reminiscent of Mozart’s, complete with lively ensembles and arias showcasing sparkling coloratura. Cimarosa outstripped Mozart as one of the most popular composers of his day, and enjoyed prestigious appointments in St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Naples. At its debut, El matrimonio secreto (as it’s known in Italian) so pleased the Emperor Leopold II that at its conclusion, he called for a dinner break and insisted that the opera be given again in its entirety immediately after. Talk about a command performance!

The opera, originally planned for 2019 and postponed due to COVID, is making its debut on the FGO stage. The cast is led by Peruvian-Mexican Metropolitan Opera soprano Vanessa Bercerra as Carolina, Miami resident and FGO favorite, Colombian-American soprano Catalina Cuervo as Elisetta, and Studio Artist, bass-baritone Phillip Lopez as Geronimo. Rounding out the cast are Studio Artists, mezzo-soprano Erin Alford as Fidalma and tenor Joseph McBrayer as Paolino, and former Studio Artist, baritone Michael Pandolfo as Count Robinson. Studio Artist sopranos Page Michels and Ashley Shalna will undertake the roles of Carolina and Elisetta respectively at the Sunday matinee.

The neon-limned set design by Lindsay Fuori comes complete with a glass block swimming pool and turquoise bar, while Darío Almirón’s costumes are straight out of a Gen-Xer’s closet. Darwin Aquino leads the orchestra while Miami’s own Elena Araoz directs. Lighting is by Stevie Agnew.