Performer: Stefano Ricci

Excellent singing, an amusing production and lively staging showcases Mascagni's Le maschere in the best possible light at Wexford Festival Opera. 

14th-century Venice, a city of intrigue, criminal activity and mysterious masks, is the setting for Donizetti's opera about the Doge Marino Faliero, whose life is torn between public and private issues.

Performing arts duo Ricci/Forte throw what feels like the entire directorial arsenal at this production.