By CB Adams
Gaetano Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” (“The Elixir of Love”) has delighted audiences for nearly two centuries. Union Avenue Opera’s current production, directed by Jon Truitt, captures the qualities that have given the opera its enduring appeal, never letting the comedy outrun the romance while unfolding the story in a warmly inhabited world where laughter and love spring from the same shared ground.
The story follows the shy Nemorino as he turns to a fake love potion in hopes of winning the independent Adina. Truitt never loses sight of the relationship at the story’s center, allowing it to deepen patiently until its conclusion feels earned.
Laura Skroska’s scenic design gives the Basque village the patina of a place where life has been unfolding long before the audience arrived. Patrick Huber’s lighting, Teresa Doggett’s costumes and Truitt’s fluid staging become the visual equivalent of bel canto itself. Nothing calls attention to itself because everything belongs.
Charles Calotta gives Nemorino an unaffected sincerity that makes his innocence touching rather than naïve. Kyaunnee Richardson preserves Adina’s independence, allowing confidence to yield gradually to recognition. Their relationship emerges through accumulated moments rather than grand declarations.
That sense of place extends beyond the scenery. The chorus never fades into the background. It remains part of the village’s daily life, so the world Truitt creates continues even when the audience’s attention belongs elsewhere.
Then there are the voices.
One of the evening’s pleasures comes from hearing Charles Calotta, John Robert Green and Junhan Choi let their unamplified voices bloom. From Union Avenue Opera’s relatively small stage, those voices seem to take on a life of their own as they move through the theater, creating the exhilarating illusion that they are still expanding long after they leave the singers.
Just as impressive, Kyaunnee Richardson belongs in that company. As Adina, she matches their warmth, assurance and presence while remaining unmistakably herself.
Calotta’s unaffected sincerity culminates in a beautifully judged “Una furtiva lagrima,” sung with warmth, restraint and quiet wonder as Nemorino realizes Adina has loved him all along. Green’s Doctor Dulcamara arrives knowing every crowd wants to believe the impossible.
Truitt occasionally nudges the comedy toward “The Pirates of Penzance,” though Green’s confidence is so complete that believing him almost seems reasonable. Choi gives Sergeant Belcore enough swagger and vocal authority to become a genuine rival rather than merely a comic obstacle, while Leann Schuering’s bright, observant Giannetta quietly binds the principals to the life of the village around them.
Music director and conductor Cara Chowning shapes Donizetti’s score with an unforced sense of flow, allowing it to sparkle without rushing its quieter moments. Throughout the evening, orchestra and stage breathe together, sustaining the warmth and humanity that make Union Avenue Opera’s “L’elisir d’amore” so satisfying.
Union Avenue Opera’s production of “L’elisir d’amore” was performed July 24-26, and July 31, Aug. 1, 2026, at Union Avenue Christian Church in St. Louis.
CB Adams is an award-winning fiction writer and photographer based in the Greater St. Louis area. A former music/arts editor and feature writer for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, his non-fiction has been published in local, regional and national publications. His literary short stories have been published in more than a dozen literary journals and his fine art photography has been exhibited in more than 40 galley shows nationwide. Adams is the recipient of the Missouri Arts Council’s highest writing awards: the Writers’ Biennial and Missouri Writing!. The Riverfront Times named him, “St. Louis’ Most Under-Appreciated Writer” in 1996.