José Manuel Zapata humorously reveals the intricacies of opera in "Opérame. What the hell is opera?" at the Palau de les Arts

Valencia (March 12, 2012) - José Manuel Zapata premieres "Opérame. What the Hell is Opera?" on March 30 at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía. This show, suitable for all audiences, aims to humorously reveal the intricacies of the operatic genre.

Zapata is the creator and performer of this hilarious show, which is being performed at the Teatre Martín i Soler until April 3.

The singer plays a mad scientist, the son of a tenor and a nuclear scientist. Frustrated by his inability to follow in his father's footsteps, this new incarnation of the Nutty Professor uses his knowledge to build robots capable of singing, something he himself has never been able to do. The doctor, however, is unaware that he himself possesses a second personality, that of an Italian tenor, who takes over in moments of inspiration to perform the most famous arias in operatic history.

A group of musicians and singers accompany Zapata in his witty explanation of opera and the role of all those who work to bring it to life. Artists from the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo participate in this new production, which incorporates fresh and modern musical arrangements performed by students from Berklee College of Music.

In a relaxed tone, with comic twists, surprises and projections, José Manuel Zapata intersperses gags with arias from the most well-known titles in the repertoire, such as Verdi's La Traviata , Rossini's La Cenerentola or Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann , in this accelerated course on the operatic world.

The performances on March 30, April 2 and 3 are intended for the educational project of the Palau de les Arts, while the performances on March 31 and April 1 are open to the general public.

The Palau de les Arts has set a price of five euros for tickets for children up to twelve years old, and ten euros for adults.