SARASOTA- “Turandot is definitely a fairy tale,” Stage Director Stephanie Sundine said. “It’s a fantastic fairytale.”
A fairy tale built for adults.
“The characters are real,” Artistic Director and Conductor Victor DeRenzi said. “And that’s what makes it something for adults, they’re not Mickey Mouse characters, they’re fleshed out.”
The Audience meets Princess Turandot who makes any man seeking her love answer three riddles, if they guess wrong… they die
“Turandot is avenging the death of this ancestor from so many years before,” Sundine said. “It’s interesting because she’s carried this her whole life and will have nothing to do with men.”
But Prince Calaf tries anyway.
“Once Calaf sees her,” Jonathan Burton said. “He senses this sense of duty, he feels that he must try these riddles, he must end these peoples suffering from this cruel reign.”
Along the way, do they actually fall in love?
“He sees her hesitance,” Burton said. “He sees her fear, but I think he also sees that she would love to give in but it has to be under the right circumstance and to the right person.”
Maestro promises your mind will change just as quickly as the chorus members.
“When you leave the story,” DeRenzi said. “People are different, the characters are different then when you started the story, and hopefully you as an audience member are different in some way.”