If you have always wanted to see an opera, but have never had the opportunity nor wanted to pay for pricey tickets, check out the two one-act Puccini operas “Suor Angelica” and “Gianni Schicchi,” beginning March 13 at USM.
Full and professional operas are only put on once every four years by the USM Music Department. It is a rare and much celebrated event by the faculty and students of both the Music Department and the Theater Department.
Another advantage is the operas are in English, instead of Italian. Although some people claim there is much lost when English is sung instead of Italian, what is lost in translation can sometimes be gained in the audiences’ understanding of the material.
Assunta Kent, the stage director, worked diligently to alter the setting in “Gianni Schicchi” from places in Italy to towns in Maine set in the 1920s.
“Houses in Quintole and land in Empoli provide little insight for Maine audiences, so I have remapped the opera over the Portland area,” said Kent. “The rich older lady who must have the cottage on Peaks Island and the West End “fashionista” who must have the townhouse in Boston.”
Every semester the vocal performance students do scene selections from operas, but the real thing only comes once every four years.
“I have been waiting to do this for a long time, and I’m really excited to do this with the orchestra,” said Mary Clark, a fourth year Vocal Performance major who plays the role of Lauretta.
With the addition of the full orchestra, the music becomes very rich and emotionally powerful.
“Puccini’s melodies are beautiful; beautiful for the singers and the listeners,” said Music Director Ellen Chickering. “All are gathered into a rich artistic gathering.”
The mixture of beautiful vocal and orchestral music, elaborate sets, lighting and costume design make the two operas a smart choice for classy entertainment.
The operas are put on by both the USM Music and the Theater Department, who are in charge of sets, costumes, lighting, as well as acting direction. The model for the set design was done by a USM alumni and graduate student, Allesandra Turati. The set also needed to be interchangeable so both plays could be done on the same stage, so Turati worked in several two-in-one set elements that could be flipped to become something else. The talent and hard work that went into this show displays the passion that the students and faculty at USM have for opera production.
“Suor Angelica” is a beautifully written tragedy that will wrench your heart- in a good way. A girl becomes pregnant and goes to a convent to have the baby. The baby dies and Angelica is so overwhelmed with grief that she kills herself, only to find out that suicide is a mortal sin.
The second opera, “Gianni Schicchi,” is a laugh-out-loud comedy full of over-the-top characters. Gianni, a country sleaze-ball, is hired by a greedy family to try and rewrite their deceased relative’s will so they can inherit his many houses, a plane, and warp mills. It turns out Gianni’s daughter Lauretta wants to marry Rinuccio, who is the nephew of the man who died. In the end Gianni takes everything for himself and the young lovers are able to get married.
As John Coons, who plays Rinuccio in “Gianni Schicchi,” puts it:
“I think one reason that this show might be good to come to is because you are getting both sides of opera (comedy and tragedy). You are getting two operas for the price of one.”
“Sour Angelica” and “Gianni Schicci” are being performed at Russell Hall in Gorham on March 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m; March 15 at 2 p.m.; and March 17 at 10 a.m. for a student matinee (with piano only, no orchestra). The tickets are $10 for USM students; $14 for seniors, USM employees and alumni; and $20 for general admission. Call the Theater box office at 780-5151 for more information; advance reservations are required.