In Brief: October 29

BGSU Opera Theater presents two one-act operas

BGSU Opera Theater celebrates the fall season with two lighthearted short operas. “Signor Deluso,” by Thomas Pasatieri, and “Le mariage aux lanternes (The Lantern Wedding),” by Jacques Offenbach, at 8 p.m. Nov. 6, and 3 p.m. Nov. 8, in Kobacker Hall at Moore Musical Arts Center.

“These two one-act operas have their origins in France, as you can tell from many of the character names,” said staging director Dr. Jane Schoonmaker Rodgers. “They are both comedies and perfectly suit the needs of our students, both in terms of casting and in their technical, musical and histrionic demands.”

“Signor Deluso” is about very emotional, reactive people jumping to wrong conclusions. A father is forcing his daughter to marry someone she does not love. She loves a different man who also loves her. When she faints in the city square, the locket she is wearing is lost and a series of misunderstandings results. In the end, all misunderstandings are resolved and the young woman is free to marry the man she loves.

“It is an affectionate parody of the conventions of grand opera,” said Rodgers. “It is a proper 20th century opera, sung throughout with evocative and idiomatic vocal writing. It is a brief 35 minutes long.”

“The Lantern Wedding” takes place on a French farm where a complicated romance is underway. The story features a love rectangle of typical comic characters, including the archetypal ingénue who wins out over a pair of gossiping widows to win the love of the young farmer.

“There is dancing, beer-drinking, cat fighting and pretty lighting effects,” Rogers said. “This piece is a great example of the type of European comic opérette that influenced the development of American musical theater, with its spoken dialogue, short song forms and catchy tunes.”

Rodgers believes the brevity, style and humor of the two operas make them a perfect pairing.  “Both of these are done totally in English,” she said. “We have an excellent cast comprised of graduate and undergraduate voice majors. One of the special features is the frequent and effective use of ensemble singing.”

“Signor Deluso” is based on Molière’s 1660 play “Sganarelle.” A rather new opera buffa, or comic opera, “Signor Deluso” premiered on July 27, 1974, at the Madeira School auditorium in McLean, Va., performed by the Wolf Trap Opera Company.

“The Lantern Wedding” is an opérette, a light opera in music, subject matter and often length, which Offenbach reworked from an earlier opérette by Battu. It was first performed on Oct. 10, 1857, at the Salle Choiseul in the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens in Paris.

Christopher Scholl is the coordinator of the BGSU Opera Theater. The production directors include Rodgers, Kevin Bylsma as musical director and Dr. Emily Freeman Brown as conductor.

Tickets for the two operas are $15 for adults and $5 for students or children when purchased in advance. On the day of the performance, all tickets are $20. To purchase tickets, visit bgsu.edu/Arts or call the Arts Box Office at 419-372-8171.