by Rebecca Godwin

When given the choice between watching an opera and a sitcom, most people would choose the sitcom. But according to Associate Professor and Opera Director in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Robert Swedberg, the upcoming production of "The Barber of Seville" by Gioacchino Rossini and Cesare Sterbini, which Swedberg is directing, is quite similar to a popular TV comedy.

"The story itself is characters that are based on the 'commedia dell'arte' background from the Italian comedies," Swedberg said. "But you may relate to how they are used in sitcoms, kind of like "Seindfeld".

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Source: http://www.michigandaily.com/