Opera in the Ozarks Presents Candide, The Marriage of Figaro, Suor Angelica, & Gianni Schicchi
June 26 - July 24
Candide, Leonard Bernstein’s satirical operetta based on Voltaire’s novella, follows the naive Candide as he endures a whirlwind of disasters—war, earthquake, shipwreck, slavery—while clinging to his tutor Dr. Pangloss’s lesson that this is “the best of all possible worlds”. He travels the globe searching for his love, Cunegonde, facing absurdity and cruelty. He eventually learns from his harrowing experiences (and meeting a wise old farmer) that true contentment comes from simple, practical work, famously summarized as “we must cultivate our garden”.
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) , Mozart’s timeless comedy, follows Figaro and Susanna, servants to Count Almaviva, on their wedding day. It is a day filled with schemes as they try to outwit the philandering Count, who wants Susanna for himself, and a vengeful Marcellina, to whom Figaro owes money. The story culminates in a night of mistaken identities, disguises, and forgiveness, where the Count’s plots unravel, exposing his infidelities, and the lovers ultimately get their happy ending.
Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi
This is an evening of two one-act plays by Puccini. Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica) is a tragic one-act opera about a noblewoman forced into a convent after bearing an illegitimate child. Angelica lives in grief and longing for her son until her cruel aunt visits and reveals the boy died years ago. After a moment of despair and attempted suicide, Angelica is granted a vision of the Virgin Mary and her son, allowing her to die in peace. Gianni Schicchi is a comedy about greedy Florentine relatives who, after their wealthy patriarch Buoso Donati dies, discover he left his fortune to monks. This prompts them to hire the cunning Gianni Schicchi to impersonate Buoso and rewrite the will. Schicchi cleverly bequeaths the best parts to himself and his daughter Lauretta (who loves Donati’s nephew Rinuccio), teaching the family a lesson in greed with severe penalties for fraud.