REXBURG, Idaho—The Brigham Young University-Idaho Department of Theatre and Dance in collaboration with the Department of Music is thrilled to present their second production of the Fall 2022 Semester. A Double Bill: Opera Night – The Old Maid and the Thief & Gianni Schicchi will be directed by Richard Clifford and David Olsen.
The production’s opening night is Wednesday, November 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the Snow Black Box Theatre. Other show times are December 1, 2, 6, 8, and 9, all starting at 7:30 p.m.
Giancarlo Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief is a production of Miss Todd and the maid, Laetitia when they invite in a hapless beggar that’s very handsome and charming. The following day, Miss Pinkerton reports a thief who escaped from jail matches Bob’s description. Laetitia convinces Miss Todd to allow him to stay for a period to help him go down a more righteous path. Shortly after, Miss Todd finds herself trapped in a web of hilarious deceits and hijinks.
Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi is a hysterical farce of the Donati family mourning the passing of Buoso, their patriarch. They later discover that Buoso left his immense fortune to a monastery and not to his heirs. With the Donati family greedy and desperate, they ask their old enemy Gianni Schicchi to come up with a preposterous plan that will either ruin them or give them everything they deserve.
Director Richard Clifford shared that, “our aim with this production is to create an enjoyable and accessible experience with opera, especially for those who have no or limited experience with the art form. The shows are both entertaining and easy to follow and both will be sung in English with super titles, so everyone will always know what is happening. With both stories, we explore the merits of human integrity and how dishonesty and greed create formidable obstacles for the characters.”
Tickets are on sale now at byui.edu/ticket-office and in the University Store. Students can purchase tickets for $3, and the public can buy tickets for $6.