Cast members of Operallora rehearse for a performance of two Puccini operas, to be performed Aug. 18 and 20 at Kelsey Theatre on Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor Campus.

(WEST WINDSOR, NJ) -- Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre and Operallora has announced a double bill of Puccini's Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica, to be presented August 18 and August 20 in West Windsor.

Acts I and II of Puccini’s Il Trittico, directed by Alex Huddleston of Buffalo, NY., is a dark drama set on the banks of the Seine that represents Puccini at his most verismo. This tale of love, loss, adultery and murder — coupled with some of Puccini’s most stunning vocal writing — is not to be missed. Suor Angelica tells the story of a young noblewoman forced to enter the convent after a youthful indiscretion that led to the birth of an illegitimate child. Tragedy, death and redemption on the landscape of Puccini’s lush orchestration.

The lead soprano roles of both operas are double cast, with Stacey Canterbury (Jackson, NJ) and Amanda Santos (Lawrenceville, NJ) as Giorgetta, and Jessie Downs (Buffalo, NY) and Gwen Cartwright (Pennington, NJ) as Angelica on Aug. 18 and 20, respectively. In Il Tabarro, Jax Hassler (Edison, NJ) will be portraying the young love interest Luigi, with Daniel Rotshteyn (North Brunswick, NJ) as the scorned husband, Michele. In Suor Angelica, Sara Zerilli (Millstone, NJ) will sing the imposing Principessa, and Laura Isabella (North Brunswick, NJ) the innocent Genovieffa.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased via the Kelsey Theatre website at https://kelsey.mccc.edu/, or call (609) 570-3333.

Founded in 2023, Operallora is a grassroots opera company located in the heart of Central New Jersey. Its mission is to provide a space for young local performers to gain valuable performance experience, while offering operatic performances that are engaging and relatable for a modern audience.

Kelsey Theatre is located on the MCCC campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor Township. The theater is wheelchair accessible with free parking adjacent to the venue. Assisted listening devices are available upon request. For a complete listing of events, visit the Kelsey website at www.KelseyTheatre.org.