The Florida Lyric Opera reopens with a production of Viva La Mamma. Opera, you say? Too serious, you say? Not. Even. Close. This particular opera, written by Gaetano Donizetti, doesn’t take itself so seriously — the opposite: It mocks the genre and makes fun of the performers and the “stage mothers” who make running any performance company infinitely more stressful. Think of it as Noises Off, with more divas (as if that’s even possible). Sadly, no Carol Burnett or Michael Caine in this show, but Jared O’Roark’s direction (you may recognize the name as the creator and artistic director of Project Shattered Silence, an endeavor quite unlike this opera) should be sufficient to convince you to check out this unconventional take on opera.
Viva La Mamma
The Space at 2106, 2106 W. Main St., Tampa. July 28 and 30, 8 p.m. $20. facebook.com/floridalyric.
This article appears in Jul 21-28, 2016.