Tufts Opera Ensemble wraps up this semester with a much-needed dose of laughter, music and farce. The Ensemble is set to dazzle tonight with two one-act comic operas: "Amelia Goes to the Ball," by Gian Carlo Menotti, and "Gallantry," by Douglas Moore, directed by Carol Mastrodomenico and musically directed by Steven Morris.
"Amelia Goes to the Ball" is a lively, dramatic romp through a day in the life of Amelia (Samantha Karlin/Lisa Gabbai), a would-be prom queen of the olden days. She's got the classic callous husband, pretty trinkets and idealistically romantic lover, but all Amelia really wants is to dance the night away. Her husband won't take her to the Ball; her lover can't. Soon, duels and pistols are involved, and confrontations abound, but Amelia's still got no date. So what's a girl to do?
Menotti, who was born in Italy in 1911, began composing at a very young age: By the time he was eleven, he had written "The Death of Pierrot," his first opera. After studying at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, he moved to the United States in 1928 and started studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. That's where "Amelia" was born, in collaboration with Menotti's future partner, American composer Samuel Barber. "Amelia Goes to the Ball," originally written in Italian, will be performed in English translation tonight.
The leads of both shows are double-cast to "give more people an opportunity to do the role," said Gabbai. "It's a really fun part. In the beginning we'd rehearse together, but each person has a slightly different take on the character later on."
And it's a tricky character, too: The music is challenging ("Quite a big range," Gabbai said), and requires a lot of vocal control and stamina for those coquettish high notes and the necessary drama that comes with them. Amelia's feminine, wily and flirty - but she's not dumb, and certainly knows how to make things happen.
"Amelia Goes to the Ball" also stars Sean Zinsmeister as the Lover, Adrian Packel as the Husband, and John Erban as Chief of Police. Caitlin Felsman (Maid/Chorus), Greg Kastelman (Chorus), Cassi Norgaisse (Maid/Chorus), Anjin Stewart-Funai (Friend), Michael Grille (Chorus), Christopher Van Lenten (Chorus) and Carolyn St. Laurence (Chorus) complete the cast.
In Act II, the Ensemble will take on Douglas Moore's "Gallantry," with libretto by Arnold Sundgaard; the one-act comedy is an eccentrically hilarious soap opera that might very well appeal to the closet General Hospital fans out there. It's about Dr. Gregg (Josh Erban), a married surgeon who's in love with the anesthetist Lola (Julia Arazi/Lauren Murphy), who's engaged to Donald (Greg Kastelman), and finds out the doctor's secret when she's operating on Donald, her lover. Besides foiled kisses and emotional upheavals, there are attacks with scalpels, and, truthful to the soap opera genre, featured "ads" for soap and other highly necessary products. Cara Pacifico (Announcer) and Madeline Weiss (Announcer) also star.
Born in New York in 1893, composer Douglas Moore studied at Yale, and served as Director of Music at the Cleveland Museum of Art. From 1926 until his retirement, he served on the faculty and as the director of the department of music at Columbia University. He's the winner of a 1951 Pulitzer for his opera "Giants in the Earth," and in 1956 he wrote his most famous opera, "The Ballad of Baby Doe." While "Gallantry" is not as recognized, it's a light, fun piece with a lot of personality.
While "Amelia Goes to the Ball" has a few dramatic moments, "'Gallantry' is a total farce," said Kastelman. "Complete with commercials."
"Amelia Goes to the Ball" and "Gallantry" will play tonight and tomorrow in Alumnae Lounge at 8 p.m. Admission is free.
