By Dakoda Smith, Staff Writer
Deonna Cattledge, vocal performance senior, plays Zita in Schicchi on Feb. 20 in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. Zita plays the matriarch of the family. “She is greedy and wants the money,” Cattledge said. Photo: Amanda Alfanos/ The Campus
The Wanda L. Bass School of Music will premiere an operatic double feature this weekend, a tragedy and a comedy.
The two short operas will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $12-25 and are half-priced for students.
The first opera, “Pagliacci,” is a tragedy that narrates the actions of a jealous husband. He and his wife, Nedda, are actors that perform in a play, said Bonnie Frauenthal, vocal performance junior.
“It’s a play within a play,” she said. “Then, reality manifests itself.”
Frauenthal said she has enjoyed meeting the challenges of her character, Nedda.
“It’s a very complex role,” she said. “It’s quite an array of acting shoes to fill.”
The tragic opera has been reset in the Dust Bowl era, which complements the themes of the second opera, Frauenthal said.
“It will contrast actual poverty with a rich, upper-class family,” she said.
The second opera, “Schicchi,” is a comedy that brings to life the story of a character briefly mentioned in “Dante’s Inferno,” Gianni Schicchi.
The directors of the play have changed the setting from Florence in 1299 to liven the production, said Dr. Matthew Mailman, director of conducting.
“We’re setting it in 1930s Hollywood,” he said. “It’s a comedy, and it will be presented as such.
“It will be hilarious.”
The themes presented in the opera, greed and love, are relatable to everyone, said Kaitlyn Stobbe, vocal performance junior.
“The family is enamored with wealth and it’s all they can think about,” she said. “This show could be transported to any time period because it’s so universal.”
Stobbe said she plays the role of Gianni Schicchi’s daughter, Lauretta, which is a change from what she has played in the past.
“It’s so exciting to be a girl and get a guy,” she said. “It’s been really fun to embrace something new that I’ve never done before.”
Schicchi is accessible to those that are not as familiar with opera, Stobbe said.
“It’s comedic brilliance and a fantastic first opera,” she said. “It moves the entire time.”
Frauenthal and Stobbe said that they agreed the audience will experience a variety of emotions.
“You will cry in Pagliacci, and laugh in Schicchi,” they said. “There’s something for everyone.”
For more ticketing information, call the box office at 405-208-5227.
This article initially appeared in the Feb. 23 issue of The Campus.
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