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The premise of Toledo Opera’s Valentine themed The Elixir of Love is as old as love itself. We don’t know who the first person was to devise a plan, a prayer, an enchantment to bring them love, but our songs, literature, and even film have left us plenty of documentation. Elixir is just a fancy way of saying potion made by an alchemist. If that old song Love Potion Number 9 comes to mind, you’re on the right track.
Written by Gaetano Donizetti in 1832, The Elixir of Love is the opera equivalent of a romcom. Nemorino is a shy young man in love with a beautiful strong-willed girl (Adina) who’s affection seems out of his reach. What’s a boy to do but turn to a traveling salesman of patent medicines in search of love potion? As with all good romcoms, chaos, comedy, and true love converge to conquer all. This is the first time the opera will be performed in more than a decade, and the Toledo Opera’s debut of director Ian Silverman.
Director Ian Silverman
Silverman, a former opera singer, was introduced to Toledo Opera through veteran director Jeffery Buchman who mentored Silverman as he transitioned from performer to director. Although productions move fast in the staging and rehearsal phase, Silverman was hired to direct Elixir of Love a year and a half ago during the planning of the 2025/2026 season. When asked how common it is for directors to start their careers as singers, Silverman says that many directors have a background in singing. “I think it’s helpful because I have a deeper empathy with singers and their process. You also better understand how you can or can’t move performers on stage. You may have a great idea for a scene, but you can’t ask them to hop around on one foot while singing an aria. I’ve always been a kind of stage animal, and I’ve got good instincts when it comes to creating a good picture on stage. I knew I wanted to direct or produce instead of teaching voice like a lot of opera singers do.” Once the choice to direct was made, he was fortunate to be able to learn from master directors who’ve helmed productions at the Metropolitan Opera.
A Comedy Melodrama?
There are some pieces like The Barber of Seville or Don Pasquale, that are considered “romps” but Elixir of Love is a much more grounded romantic comedy. Says Silverman, “It’s said that all stories are either Romeo and Juliet or David vs Goliath but this story is both. It’s about unlikely lovers, but it’s more due to their class. He’s a poor farmhand and she’s a rich girl. She loves Nemorino but she doesn’t want to be tied down. It’s when she sees how much he’s willing to go through for her that she starts to change her mind. When Nemorino buys the elixir from Dr. Dulcamara, the doctor knows he’s selling a product that doesn’t work. He gives the boy a bottle of wine and tricks him into thinking it’s magical. There’s a back story where Nemorino inherits a lot of money, and everyone knows but him. Of course, the girls now find him attractive, but Nemorino thinks it’s the elixir, all of this leads to some very funny antics. There’s a “you are enough, so just be yourself” moral to the story that audiences find both sweet and satisfying.
Interpreting the Material
All productions and directors will have slightly different visions of the material they’re bringing to life on stage. Silverman sees Adina as a slightly more modern woman than she was probably allowed to have been in 1832. “She really does love Nemorino throughout, but she can’t give in to it right away. In our show, she’s not seriously interested in the other suitor presented to her because he’s too interested in himself. In that way, she’s a little more modern than was originally intended. It’s important that the audience roots for her to be happy just as much as the sweet farm boy.”
Elixir of Love is considered a second tier, slightly lesser-known opera, but Silverman adores the music and its enduring charm. “It’s a lovely, straightforward story — not a lot of one character masquerading as another, which is a common, sometimes confusing trope. The music is just glorious, and effervescent. When everything in the world right now feels so heavy, we have this opportunity to hug the audience with something lighthearted, silly, and enchanting.”
The Toledo Opera’s production of Elixir of Love plays at the Valentine Theater February 13 & 15.
