San Diego Opera's Two 2027 Productions: A Mozart Comedy and an American Tragedy

Overview

San Diego Opera has two productions left in its 2026-27 season, and they could hardly be less alike.

In February, Susannah — a 1950s American tragedy about a young woman destroyed by small-town gossip, sung in English.

In April, The Marriage of Figaro — Mozart's comedy about servants outwitting their boss, and the opera most people who know the form would name as the greatest ever written.

Both at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Both three performances only.

If you've never been to an opera, one of these two is almost certainly your entry point — and which one depends entirely on what you want out of an evening.

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Susannah — February 12, 13 and 14, 2027

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| Friday, February 12 | 7:30 p.m. |

| Saturday, February 13 | 7:30 p.m. |

| Sunday, February 14 | 2:00 p.m. |

Sung in English, with English and Spanish supertitles.

Carlisle Floyd wrote Susannah in 1955, and it remains one of the very few American operas to have entered the standard repertoire. The story is set in a small Tennessee mountain community: a young woman is seen bathing in a creek, the town elders decide what that means about her, and her life comes apart on the strength of their decision.

It's drawn from the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, and it was written in the middle of the McCarthy era, which is not a coincidence.

Two reasons this is a genuinely good first opera.

It's in English. No translation, no supertitle-reading, no missing a joke because you were looking at the screen. You just watch it.

And it's short, direct and dramatically plain. There's no plot to untangle — you understand the situation in the first ten minutes and then you watch it happen. The music is folk-inflected and tuneful in a way that doesn't ask anything of you.

The counterweight: it's a hard watch. This is a story about a community turning on a young woman, and it does not soften it. If you're after an evening out rather than an evening that stays with you, take the April one.

February 14 is a Sunday matinee — and it's Valentine's Day. Worth knowing before you book it as a romantic afternoon, because Susannah is not that.

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The Marriage of Figaro — April 2, 3 and 4, 2027

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| Friday, April 2 | 7:30 p.m. |

| Saturday, April 3 | 7:30 p.m. |

| Sunday, April 4 | 2:00 p.m. |

Sung in Italian, with English and Spanish supertitles.

Mozart, 1786. It all takes place in a single day — the day Figaro is supposed to marry Susanna, and the day his employer, Count Almaviva, decides he'd rather have Susanna for himself.

What follows is four acts of disguises, hidden letters, people climbing out of windows and a great deal of hiding in cupboards, and it ends with the Count publicly humiliated and forced to apologise to his wife in front of everyone.

That ending is why the opera matters, and why it was politically risky in 1786 — the servants win.

But you don't need any of that to enjoy it. This is simply the funniest night in opera, and it's full of tunes you already know without knowing why.

If you're bringing someone who thinks they don't like opera, this is the one. It's the standard answer to that problem for a reason: it's a farce with great jokes, the plot is easy to follow, and the supertitles do all the work.

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Which One Should You Pick?

If you've never been to an opera → Figaro. Funny, famous, forgiving. Nobody has ever regretted their first Figaro.

If you want something you won't see again → Susannah. Rarely staged, American, in English, and genuinely powerful.

If you're bringing a sceptic → Figaro, and don't tell them how long it is.

If you only want one → Figaro, and the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. is the easiest version of the evening.

If you want both → there's a two-opera package, and it's the cheapest route in. See below.

Tickets

San Diego Opera publishes two-opera packages starting at $84.

Single-ticket prices aren't published online, and at the time of writing the company's ticketing system was down for maintenance — so nothing is purchasable through the website right now.

Call the box office. That's the only reliable route at the moment.

The $84 package is the thing to look at, though. Two operas at the Civic Theatre for $84 works out at $42 a night, which is less than most touring theatre and considerably less than a concert at the same venue.

Before and After the Show

The company runs a few things around the performances that are worth knowing about.

Opera Uncorked — a pre-performance evening with wine and light bites, where Resident Conductor Bruce Stasyna talks through each opera's history and what to listen for.

• Susannah — Thursday, January 21, 2027, 6:00 p.m., UCSD Park & Market, 1100 Market St
• The Marriage of Figaro — Thursday, March 18, 2027, 6:00 p.m., same venue

If you're new to opera, go to one of these. An hour of context before a performance is the difference between watching something and following it.

Opening Night Parties follow every Friday performance, in the Patron Lounge tent on the west side of the Civic Theatre.

And two free community concerts at the San Diego Central Library's Neill Morgan Auditorium — reservation required, no charge:

• Making Merry: A Holiday Celebration — Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
• American Voices — Tuesday, February 2, 2027, 6:00 p.m.

Those are the best free arts tickets in the city and almost nobody knows about them. American Voices on February 2 also lands ten days before Susannah opens, which makes it a natural warm-up.

How to Go

• Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, downtown
• Susannah: February 12, 13 and 14, 2027 — Fri and Sat 7:30 p.m., Sun 2:00 p.m. In English
• The Marriage of Figaro: April 2, 3 and 4, 2027 — Fri and Sat 7:30 p.m., Sun 2:00 p.m. In Italian with supertitles
• Two-opera packages from $84. Single-ticket prices not published
• Opera Uncorked: January 21 and March 18, UCSD Park & Market
• Free community concerts: December 1 and February 2, SD Central Library

Good to Know

• Three performances each. That's it. Both runs are a single weekend.
• Both have a Sunday 2 p.m. matinee, which is the easier option if an evening is a stretch.
• Susannah is in English — no supertitle-reading required.
• The $84 two-opera package is the value play.
• Book by phone. The online ticketing system has been down for maintenance.
• February 14 is Valentine's Day and Susannah is not a romantic afternoon. Plan accordingly.
• The two library concerts are free and need only a reservation.
• Opera Uncorked is worth it if you're new — context beforehand changes the night.

Why It's Worth It

Because a city either has an opera company or it doesn't, and San Diego does.

Plenty of comparable American cities lost theirs. San Diego Opera nearly went under itself a decade ago and came back — so a season with a Mozart comedy and a rarely staged American tragedy in it is not something to take for granted.

And these two make an unusually good pair. One in English, one in Italian. One written in 1786, one in 1955. One that ends with everyone laughing and forgiving each other, one that ends badly for everyone. If you did both you'd have a decent sense of what the whole form can do, for eighty-four dollars.

Start with Figaro if you're new. Go to the Opera Uncorked session beforehand. And if February's free concert at the library lands on a Tuesday you're free, take it — it costs nothing and it's the lowest-risk way to find out whether any of this is for you.

For more things worth doing, browse our events calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is San Diego Opera performing in 2027? Two productions at the San Diego Civic Theatre: Susannah on February 12, 13 and 14, and The Marriage of Figaro on April 2, 3 and 4.

What are the performance times? Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. That applies to both productions.

Is Susannah in English? Yes — it's an American opera sung in English, with English and Spanish supertitles. The Marriage of Figaro is in Italian, also with English and Spanish supertitles.

What is Susannah about? Carlisle Floyd's 1955 opera, set in a small Tennessee community, about a young woman whose life is destroyed by the town's assumptions after she's seen bathing in a creek. It draws on the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders and was written during the McCarthy era.

What is The Marriage of Figaro about? Mozart's 1786 comedy, set across a single day, in which Figaro and Susanna outwit Count Almaviva, who is trying to seduce Susanna before their wedding. It ends with the Count publicly humiliated.

Which should I see first if I've never been to an opera? The Marriage of Figaro. It's funny, the plot is easy to follow, and it's the standard recommendation for a first opera. Susannah is a good alternative if being sung in English matters more to you than the subject being light.

How much are tickets? Two-opera packages start at $84. Single-ticket prices aren't published online, and the ticketing system has been down for maintenance — call the box office.

What is Opera Uncorked? A pre-performance evening with wine and light bites where the Resident Conductor talks through each opera's history and what to listen for. January 21 for Susannah, March 18 for Figaro, both at UCSD Park & Market.

Are there free events? Yes — two community concerts at the San Diego Central Library's Neill Morgan Auditorium, free with a reservation: Making Merry on December 1, 2026, and American Voices on February 2, 2027.

How long are the runs? Three performances each, across a single weekend. There are no extra dates.

Where is it? The San Diego Civic Theatre, downtown.