Little LOON 2026: The Elixir of Love
Opera for the Young’s Adaptation of The Elixir of Love
Source music by Gaetano Donizetti
Italian libretto to L’elisir d’amore by Felice Romani
Based on a libretto by Eugène Scribe for Daniel Auber’s Le phitre (1831)
Music adapted by Bill Lutes
Original libretto by Diane Garton Edie
Tour Dates & Scheduling
Little LOON will be touring in the Winter of 2026. We do our best to accommodate school requests for specific dates and/or days of the week as it geographically possible.
- February 2-6
- February 9-13
- February 23-27
- March 2-6
- (March 9-13 on hold for snow-day makeups)
Contact us for more information about bringing Little LOON programming to your school!
Call 218-464-0922 or write info@loonopera.org
How does Little LOON work?
Find the answers to your questions about Little LOON in this FAQ document.
About The Elixir of Love
PLOT SYNOPSIS
Miss Addy (S*) is a rancher who loves to read romantic books. She isn’t interested in marrying any of the local cowboys because the stories seem more exciting. Jimmy Reno (T) – loves Miss Addy but is too shy to tell her. Sergeant Bill Corey (B) likes her, too, and is bold enough to propose. Jimmy overhears this and is very upset!
Dr. Dulcamara (M), a cure-all peddler, rides into town and sells fake medicine to the Townsfolk (SC) Jimmy asks for an elixir that will make Addy fall in love with him. Dulcamara sells him a potion which is really just root beer! Jimmy sees that Addy and Bill Corey are about to get married, and wants more elixir. To get money, Jimmy joins the army. He buys more ‘elixir of love’ that does nothing AND he has to leave Miss Addy to be a soldier! Dulcamara decides to help them understand that they love each other without the elixir. She gives the money back to Bill Corey that he paid Jimmy to join the army, so Jimmy is now free to marry Addy. Bill Corey realizes there are plenty of other girls he might like and Dulcamara decides to quit selling fake medicines and settle down to write a newspaper advice column! All is well.
*S – soprano; M – mezzo; T – tenor; B – baritone, SC – student chorus; AV – adult volunteer
NOTABLE FEATURES
- Cowboy idiom is always appealing to young children – offers opportunity for whole-school dress-up as well as study of Old West
- Substance abuse issue is raised (although the elixir has been changed from wine to root beer) – trouble in story comes from character not relying on himself but depending on substance
- Children have roles of authority – Soldier and Justice of the Peace – as well as traditional friends of adult characters (Townsfolk)
Teaching Materials
TEACHING GUIDE (click to view and download)
Please find the required STUDENT PREPARATION CHECKLIST in the teacher guide linked above. The teacher guide also has sheet music, gym setup guidelines, suggested activities, and more.