“Something appealing, something appalling, something for everyone, a comedy tonight!” sing the members of Opera Workshop. This weekend, Duke students will perform a selection of opera pieces, complete with costumes and staging. Comedy Tonight! is performed entirely in English, meaning that no translations or subtitles are necessary to enjoy the show.
Susan Dunn, director of Opera Workshop and professor of the practice of music, says the show got its direction when David Heid, lecturer and accompanist for Opera Workshop, wanted to do “The Daughter of the Regiment.” Instead of putting on one complete opera, Dunn chose selections from this and several other opera buffa—comedic operas.
The show begins with the rowdy “Comedy Tonight!” from Stephen Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Although not opera, the piece serves as a frame for the show and is one of two times when the whole ensemble is onstage together, fully occupying the Nelson Music Room with the vocal power of a much larger chorus.
Like most Sondheim, “Comedy Tonight!” contains elements of the rhythm and tones of everyday speech. The piece smoothly transitions into a selection from an opera originally performed over the radio in 1939. “The Old Maid and the Thief” is clearly opera, yet the composition bears a striking resemblance to the speaking cadence of the Sondheim piece. The selection and order of these pieces give a nod to the roots of contemporary musical theater: opera.
By following the opening musical theater piece with a musically related opera, the show eases the audience into the more classic opera pieces. According to Dunn, it was unintentional. The pieces, and their order, were chosen more for tempo, era and number of parts. “[I] tried to mix it up,” explained Dunn.
And mix it up she did. The show features pieces from several of the great opera composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi, as well as some lesser-known composers. All the important elements of comedic opera are present, many of which are still staples in modern comedy: long-lost relatives, disguised identities, furious women and love at first sight. The show also has some of the less desirable tropes of opera, like stereotypes of natives and fickle women. However, when understood in the historical context of the pieces, these negatives become almost inevitable.
Opera Workshop occurs every semester as one of the ensembles organized by the Music Department, and involved students will receive credit toward the music major. Lauren DeLucia, a junior music and linguistics double major, has already fulfilled her ensemble requirement but continues to participate in what is now her fourth semester of Opera Workshop.
DeLucia plays Dorabella in the selection from Mozart’s “Così fan Tutte,” one of his last operas. The piece is performed with a modern interpretation inspired by the Kardashian sisters. Dorabella and her sister Fioridiligi, played by Laurel Toyofuku, wear trendy clothes and impossibly high heels, looking chic and maybe slightly trashy. They clutch their smartphones as they sigh over their distant lovers. Their personal assistant Despina, who in the original is a maid, arrives and encourages them to pursue a meaningless fling with visiting strangers—the sisters’ loved ones in disguise. Like all good opera, the voices are as beautiful as the plot is outrageous: Dorabella and Fioridiligi’s duet is spectacular, showcasing Delucia and Toyofuku’s range and rich tone even in the high register.
Undergraduates aren’t the only performers here.Graduate students, and sometimes even local alums, frequently help fill out the cast. The pieces are never planned specifically around them, explained Dunn. Having the extra participants allows the group to do more than they could otherwise, thus providing more interesting opportunities for undergraduates. “[It’s] a cool way to stay involved,” said alum Robyn Schmidt, T’10. Schmidt was very involved in Opera Workshop as an undergraduate and, since graduating, has continued to participate in several productions. She plays the fussy Marquise in the selection from Gaetano Donizetti’s “The Daughter of the Regiment,” a role that vocally supports the stunning—and humorously executed—voice of her niece Marie, played by Ivy Zhou.
The show ends with the finale from “Falstaff” by Verdi and features Duke music lecturer Wayne Lail. The piece is one of the most difficult vocal ensembles ever written. It involves a fugue, the overlapping repetition of a melody at different pitches. The ensemble bellows it joyfully, a testament to their skill and the coaching of Dunn and Heid. “People will be surprised [that] undergraduates are doing [Falstaff],” said Dunn.
Opera Workshop’s Comedy Tonight! will be performed Fri., April 19 at 8 p.m. and Sun., April 21 at 3 p.m. in the Nelson Music Room. Entry is free of charge.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.