Opera Theatre successfully delivers heartbreak, humor

A mother’s heartbreak over her only son’s death, and a greedy family’s hilarious attempt to ensure their share of a recently deceased family member’s fortune were the plots of Opera Theatre VCU’s “Suor Angelica” and “Gianni Schicchi.” The spring production ran at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts this Saturday and Sunday.

‘Suor Angelica’

“Suor Angelica” is the story of a young noble woman, Sister Angelica, played by vocal performance major Anna Maples, in her plight of living a hidden life in a convent in the late 1600s. The audience finds Sister Angelica spending her days stowed away as punishment for an illicit love affair, pining for news from her family.

The brief scenes in the beginning of the opera took a while to pick up as they introduced Sister Angelica’s environment. More than enough time passes before the arrival of a visitor for Sister Angelica is announced and even longer before the audience is aware of Sister Angelica’s son.

While the opera takes some time to pick up, the drama of the main character is alluring. The role of Sister Angelica requires a certain level of passion, which Maples does not fail to deliver.

One encounter between Sister Angelica and her aunt, played by VCU voice faculty Michelle Harman-Gulick, change the opera from a lighter projection to a performance of raw and unfiltered anguish.

The orchestrated music matches the intensifying scenes that steadily increase as the play continues. This opera doesn’t include a complex or in-depth plot but the basics of emotional turmoil are appealing enough.

‘Gianni Schicchi’

Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” offers warm humor through its cast of conniving characters.

A wealthy resident of Florence, Italy in 1299 has just died and his family surrounds the bed in exaggerated cries. This would be a touching moment if the characters did not immediately begin to search for the dead man’s will.

The audience by now is aware that the relatives are not too affected by the recent tragedy but rather about rumors that all of the possessions would go to a monastery. Upon discovering the will, rumor becomes truth in a comedic display of disappointment.

The final decision is to summon Gianni Schicchi, the one man known for his wit and fiendish reputation, to solve the matter. Played by vocal performance major Chase Peak, Schicchi becomes entwined in the increasingly messy situation.

The relatives and Schicchi decide to change the will but Schicchi lives up to his name, taking the most valuable possessions for himself.

This opera builds off a smart and equally humorous plot that reels in the audience with the numerous laugh-out-loud moments. One line in the play, “You’ll get what you deserve,” resonates throughout the entirety of the play as the scheming turns sour and the relatives find themselves in over their heads.

This light-hearted opera charms the audience in a clever and humorous projection of greed and backstabbing.