The story of how the famous Italian tenor Caruso escaped the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 will be showcased in Pembrokeshire this weekend.
Caruso and the Quake is being staged at Theatr Gwaun on Saturday October 30th.
The one-man show starring Mexican tenor Ignacio Jarquin combines story telling with live opera from Puccini and Rossini and will feature favourites such as O sole mio.
Tenor Enrico Caruso was the first recording artist to sell a million records and was probably the most famous man in the world when he performed Carmen at the San Francisco Opera House in 1906.
The next day he awoke at 5am to find his bed rocking and thought at first he was on a ship returning to his beloved Naples. However he was in fact in the centre of an earthquake, which would kill over 3,000 people – the greatest natural disaster in the US until Hurricane Katrina.
This story of his dramatic escape through the burning city and onto the only ferry out of town will be brought to life at Theatr Gwaun as part of a nationwide tour.
Produced by Prodigal Theatre, the show was one of the hits of the Edinburgh Festival where The Stage said it was ‘compelling’ and the Scotsman praised Ignacio’s performance as ‘Opera singing with a pure fresh quality’.
Caruso and the Quake will take place at Theatr Gwaun on Saturday 30th October at 8pm. Tickets are £9 (£7 concessions).
It will be followed by a ‘Sing Out With Caruso’ workshop on Sunday, 31st October at 10.30am for up to 15 people (first come first served). The workshop is £15.
To reserve tickets for the performance or workshop, or both, please ring the Theatr Gwaun Box Office on 01348 873421.
