MOUNT VERNON — Cornell College Lyric Theatre presents two one-act comic operas, “Gianni Schicchi” and “The Stoned Guest,” Jan. 27-30 in Kimmel Theatre of Youngker Hall.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Jan. 27-29) and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 30). Admission is $8 for adults; $5 for students, seniors and youth. To reserve tickets, call 895-4293.
“Gianni Schicchi,” by Giacomo Puccini, is the story of a rich patriarch’s death and his family members’ search for a will they hope can give them property and wealth. When the relatives discover most of the estate goes to the local monks, they scheme to change the will and invite the shrewd Gianni Schicchi to help accomplish the task. He disguises himself as the deceased patriarch, summons a lawyer to rewrite the will and tricks the relatives.
The Cornell production updates this 13th-century opera for the reality television era, set in present-day Florence with Eurotrash costuming. But the greedy and conniving let’s-stop-at-nothing actions of manipulative relatives remain as true as they were when the opera was written.
“The Stoned Guest,” written by Ames native Peter Schickele, aka P.D.Q. Bach, merges characters from two famous operas, “Don Giovanni” and “Carmen,” for a raucous parody on opera. As four characters find themselves lost in a forest, mayhem abounds with the usual operatic elements: abduction, love interest, mistaken identity, diva rivalry, high notes and low notes, tragic death and a happy ending.
The performances are directed by Jonathon Thull, Cornell voice instructor and Lyric Theatre founder, with musical direction by Lynda Hakken.
