OKLAHOMA CITY — The dust of a Depression-era work camp and the sheen of the golden age of Hollywood provide an updated twist on two Italian opera classics at the Bass School of Music.
Ruggero Leoncavallo’s tragic “Pagliacci” and Giacomo Puccini’s comic “Gianni Schicchi” share top billing on OCU’s Kirkpatrick Auditorium stage Feb. 25-27. The auditorium is located at N.W. 25th Street and Blackwelder Avenue.
“Leoncavallo was the Quentin Tarantino of his time with edge, violence and sexuality presented in a music-driven stylized way,” director David Herendeen said. “With Pagliacci, Leoncavallo became the poster child for the Verismo opera movement. The opera spoke in a language closer to the street, emotionally. The show was their version of sex, drugs and rock and roll.”
Performances are 8 p.m. Feb 25 and 26, with a 3 p.m. Feb. 27 matinee. Tickets range from $12 to $25 and are available online at www.okcu.edu/tickets or by calling (405) 208-5227.
David Herendeen, director of OCU’s Oklahoma Opera and Music Theater Company, will give a free talk in the adjacent Burg Theater 45 minutes before curtain time.
“Pagliacci” will be performed in Italian with translations projected above the stage, under the musical direction of Benjamin Nilles. “Gianni Schicchi” will be performed in English, with the orchestra under the baton of Matthew Mailman.
Rather than the traditional setting of the 19th century Italian countryside, Herendeen is staging “Pagliacci” in a 1939 work camp “not unlike that depicted in ‘The Grapes of Wrath.’ We see people with genuine woes whose lives are brightened by the visit of a theater troupe, who then witness a double murder as the performance goes awry.”
“Pagliacci” is anchored by one of opera’s most famous and popular arias, “Vesti la Giubba,” performed by the tragic clown of the opera’s title. A recording of Enrico Caruso singing the aria became the first record to sell 1 million copies.
The opening opera will be followed by “Gianni Schicchi,” a broad slapstick comedy re-imagined in 1939 Hollywood.
The story opens at the deathbed of Buoso Donati, an Oscar-winning film producer. His family gathered around him is awash in shallow grief. Their most intense emotions are reserved for the inheritance that awaits them.
“Gianni Schicchi is genuinely funny, not forced like in many comic operas where we, the audience, search in hopes of finding humor,” Herendeen said. “Our production speaks in old movie comedic language — broad vaudeville Marx brothers versus provocative slick Coen brothers.”
Both operas will feature professional costumes, sets and full orchestra.
Friday’s performances will be preceded with an opening night dinner in the atrium of the Bass Music Center. Tickets for the dinner are available in advance for $20 by calling (405) 208-5227). The Italian-themed buffet will feature performances by Bass School of Music student musicians.
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