Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (IDOB) will stage Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's last masterpiece "Falstaff" on the evening of June 15 at Türk Telekom Opera Hall in Istanbul’s iconic Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM).

"Falstaff" was adapted by Arrigo Boito from the play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and scenes from "Henry IV" by William Shakespeare. The reason why Verdi wanted to compose this work is his admiration for Shakespeare.

Verdi mentioned that after composing many dramatic and tragic operas, he took great pleasure in composing this ridiculous and witty opera.

In the play, which takes place in England in the 14th century, a chain of events begins when one of Shakespeare's most entertaining characters, the fat playboy Falstaff, tries to seduce two good and married friends, Alice Ford and Meg Page.

In this human comedy, it is emphasized that everything is a joke in this world full of fools, at the end of confusion where love, money, greed, intrigues, in short, all human emotions are experienced.

The orchestral conductor of the piece, which will be performed in Italian with the direction of Renato Bonajuto, is Roberto Gianola, while the choir conductor is Paolo Villa. The decor design of the piece is by Efter Tunç, the costume design is by Ayşegül Alev, and the lighting design is by Yakup Çartık.

In the performance, Işık Belen will play Sir John Falstaff and Caner Akgün will be in the role of Ford. Ufuk Toner will appear as Fenton, Çağrı Köktekin as Dr. Cajus, Can Reha Gün as Bardolfo, Göktuğ Alpaşar as Pistola, Şebnem A. Kışlalı as Alice Ford, Dilruba Bilgi as Nannetta, Deniz Likos as Quickly and Barbora Hitay as Mrs. Meg Page.