2023 Festival Media Reviews

Colorado Drama on "Otello": Bob Bows

“Central City Opera’s production of Gioachino Rossini’s Otello completes a unique, compelling, and informative season of Shakespearean adaptations, including Romeo and Juliet and Kiss Me, Kate.”

Central City Opera lets dazzling “Kiss Me, Kate” be what it is: Kelly Dean Hansen

“As an opera company, CCO is positioned to present musicals in a manner that other groups cannot.”

Central City Opera stages the other “Otello:" Marc Shulgold

“Sewailam said he has focused on Rossini’s ‘Otello’ as a tragic story of ‘race, humanity and love.'”

'Romeo and Juliet': Sad and beautiful at 8,500 feet: David Sckolnik

“Anyone who is willing and able to climb to this 8,500-foot operatic mountaintop will receive a dose of the art form guaranteed to satiate its most ardent fans.“

Soprano makes star turn in Central City Opera’s “Roméo et Juliette”: Kelly Dean Hansen

“Madison Leonard is radiant, and that is a supreme understatement.”

"Kiss Me, Kate" in Colorado Drama: Bob Bowes

“Ken Cazan dazzles us with a light-hearted yet robust Broadway feel. Adam Turner and the full-bodied Festival Orchestra fill the hall with a lush rendition of Porter’s memorable score.”

‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ At Central City Opera: Peter Alexander

“Central City Opera (CCO) returns to a three-production mainstage season this summer for the first time in more than 10 years with three musical works based on Shakespeare.”

Marlow's Musings on "Otello"

“Conductor John Baril and Chorus Master Brandon Eldredge conspire to bring the choral and orchestral elements together with true artistry.”

"Kiss Me, Kate" in Front Row Center Denver: Beki Pineda

“Six dancers from local companies and beyond join the cast to add a needed bounce to the dance numbers. And look at Jeffrey Parsons go! Not only does he act and sing beautifully to play Bill Calhoun, Lois’s wandering boyfriend, but he can tap dance like nobody’s business. “

Central City Meets Every Challenge of Rossini's Rare "Otello" - Kelly Dean Hansen

“This ambitious Otello is both a strong argument for the composer and an exemplar for the presentation of his works.”

"Romeo & Juliet" in Colorado Drama: Bob Bowes

“In Central City Opera’s opening production of its 91st season, the bard’s most famous romantic tragedy is distilled to its essential dramatic elements (libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré), focusing on the arc of Romeo and Juliet’s shooting-star romance—a short-lived flame extinguished in a poisoned atmosphere of familial warfare.”