School of Music

Gianni Schicchi - 2004
by Giacomo Puccini

Written in 1917-1918, Giacom Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, draws its sinister lead character from a small segment of Dante's Inferno, though in this case, the actions of Schicchi's evil result in a less gruesome earthly outcome. The opera is the fianl part of a trilogy of one-act operas by Puccini that includes Il tabarro (The Cloak), Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica), and Gianni Schicchi. Though all three of these one-act operas were meant to be performed together, only Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi ger many performances, often separately. Premiered in 1918 at New York's Metropolitan Opera, this is Puccini's only comedy, but still finds its way to expose and explore darker moral issues.

Ensemble Cast (left to right): Nick Nesbitt, Johnfrancis Twomey, Steven Linville, Trisha Wells, Amy Hayes, Chris Langefeld, Mary Catherine Moroney, Drew Harris

Gianni Schicchi takes place in Florence, Italy in 1299. The family members of wealthy Buoso Donati are mourning his passing, but hope that his written will can provide them property and wealth. They search for the document in the dead man's home until they discover it, but its contents detail only that he has given most of his estate to the local monks. Infuriated by this, the relatives scheme to change the will and they invite the shrewd Gianni Schicchi to help accomplish the task. When Schicchi arrives, each relative attempts to bribe him for their own gain; he warns them all of the legal and physical consequences of re-writing the will, the disguises himself as a not-quite-dead Buoso Donati in order that a lawyer be summoned to write a will reflecting Donati's (Schicchi's) latest intentions. The relatives are thrilled at this possible turn of fortue until Schicchi tricks them. The end result is not quite what they had expected!

Click here for a full cast list.