​Leoncavallo's Pagliacci  follows a troupe of traveling actors performing traditional Italian commedia dell’arte. Canio, the troupe’s leader, suspects his wife, Nedda, of infidelity. As jealous tensions rise and the offstage drama mirrors the onstage performance, real-life passions boil over into a deadly conclusion. Inspired by a true crime, this gripping opera blurs the line between theater and reality.​