Lee Opera Theatre to perform “Gianni Schicchi”

After weeks of preparation - learning lines, crafting sets, and rehearsing music - Lee Opera Theatre will perform “Gianni Schicchi” at the end of February.

Inspired by the 30th canto from “Dante’s Inferno,” “Gianni Schicchi”, was written by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. This comedic opera premiered in 1918 in Puccini’s Il Trittico - a collection of three one-act operas.

The plot follows the family of Bouso Donati. After the wealthy Donati dies, his greedy family searches for his will. Hearing a rumor that Donanti left his estate to a monastery, they enlist the help of Gianni Schicchi. A sneaky con artist, Gianni Schicchi disguises himself as the deceased in order to have a new will written out to secure the family’s inheritance. 

The situation is complicated by the relationship between Gianni Schicchi’s daughter, Lauretta, and Buoso Donanti’s nephew, Rinuccio, who want to get married. Rinuccio’s family is reluctant to let him marry a girl in a lower social class.

Bronwyn Paladin, a senior music performance major, plays the young Lauretta.

“The tension of the show is we want to get married, but they don't want to let me marry him because I don't have a dowry,” said Paladin. 

Paladin sings the show’s most famous aria, “O mio babbino caro,” Lauretta’s plea for her father to allow her to marry love.

Her “love” is played by senior vocal performance major, Cody Hooper. For Hooper, the role has been demanding but rewarding.

“It's been really challenging. It's probably the most challenging role I've had to do. It's my first full staged opera. Puccini is not easy to sing … but it's been a great learning experience,” Hooper said.

The production, and participating in Lee Opera Theatre in general, allows students to build up a variety of performance skills.

“We actually have classes in acting and on how to present yourself, different things [like] movement. We do some yoga. We do a lot of different things to become better performers,” said James Frost, director of Lee Opera Theatre and associate professor of voice.

Students are heavily involved in the development of the production, something Paladin enjoys. 

“It's really fun to get to be creative. Our director, Mr. Frost allows us to do a lot of the set design and construction, and in terms of the staging, a lot of it is up to us. And so it feels very much like we are making this production happen ourselves … We get to be really creative, and that's fun. It kind of feels like we're playing dress up sometimes,” Paladin said.

As production nears, Frost hopes his students develop their skills while enjoying participating in the opera.

“My goal is just that they become better performers … It's always my goal … It doesn't have to be perfect. It's not supposed to be perfect, basically, but … I want them to have fun … that's the most important thing, I think,” said Frost. “As I tell my students, ‘if you're not having fun, then stop doing it. You shouldn't be doing it if you're not having fun.’ … I think that's how you engage the audience is by you just enjoying yourself, even with a very difficult score.”

Hooper hopes that, upon viewing the opera, audiences will come to appreciate Lee Opera Theatre.

“I think the main thing I want people to get out of this is that there's a desire to perform here at Lee … There's a lot of great talent, and Opera Theatre is a great place to cultivate this talent … I think I just want people to see how much potential there is with this ensemble,” said Hooper.

Lee Opera Theatre will perform “Gianni Schicchi” on Feb. 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m., and on March 1 at 3 p.m. Performances will take place in the Dixon Center, located at 1053 Church St., Cleveland, Tenn.