Daughter of the Regiment
High spirits, deep trouble
SUMMER 2024
Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment is delicious French whimsy, written by an Italian, and sung in English.
A canteen girl brought up by a rollicking regiment of soldiers is expected to marry a soldier but her heart strays elsewhere. Cue: much hilarity and many high notes from both the canteen girl and her lover Tonio – whose aria Ah mes amis! features a terrifying sequence of top C’s.
Soprano Julia Sitkovetsky is famed throughout Europe for her high notes. Her signature role of Queen of the Night has taken her to Hamburgische Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper am Rhein and Welsh National Opera.
An opera in two acts
Sung in English
Music Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, Jean-François Bayard
First performance 11 February 1840, Salle de la Bourse
Cast & Creatives
MARIE, born into and brought up by the 21st Regiment ∙ JULIA SITKOVETSKY
TONIO, a Tyrolean ∙ NICO DARMANIN
SERGEANT SULPICE ∙ ENRICO MARABELLI
THE MARQUISE OF BERKENFIELD, allegedly Marie’s aunt but, in fact, her mother ∙ ANNA STEIGER
HORTENSIUS, a butler ∙ HENRY GRANT KERSWELL
A PRIVATE ∙ TIM BAGLEY
CORPORAL ∙ REDMOND SANDERS
and
HARRIET THORPE as THE DUCHESS OF KRAKENTHORP
CONDUCTOR ∙ CLAIRE LEVACHER Sponsor Brian & Jennifer Ratner
DIRECTOR/DESIGNER ∙ JOHN DOYLE
COSTUME DESIGNER ∙ GABRIELLE DALTON
LIGHTING DESIGNER ∙ TIM MITCHELL
Act 1
Marie was found as a baby on a battlefield and brought up as the ‘daughter’ of the Regiment. Her foster-father Sulpice has decreed she must marry a soldier, but Marie has other ideas: she’s fallen in love with a local boy, Tonio.
The Marquise de Berkenfield and her steward Hortensius stumble across the regiment. Sulpice recognizes the Marquise’s name from papers found near the infant Marie. The Marquise claims to be Marie’s aunt, and resolves to give Marie a proper education. Marie has to leave behind her Regiment – and Tonio, who’s by now enlisted in order to marry her!
Act 2
The Marquise plans to marry Marie to the Duke of Crakentorp. Marie isn’t happy as she longs for the Regiment. To her delight, they rush in! Tonio pleads with the Marquise to be allowed to marry Marie. When she refuses, he reveals he knows that Marie is the Marquise’s illegitimate daughter.
The Marquise and the formidable Duchess de Crakentorp try to force Marie to sign a marriage contract. When Marie learns that the Marquise is her mother she’s prepared to do so, but is stopped by Tonio and the Regiment.
The Marquise knows she can’t make her daughter unhappy and gives Marie permission to marry Tonio after all!
Performance dates
Saturday 8 June 5:15pm
Thursday 13 June 5:45pm
Wednesday 19 June 5:45pm
Sunday 30 June 5:15pm
Thursday 4 July 5:45pm
Saturday 6 July 5:15pm