A NIGHT at the OPERA

It is June 22, 2002. A well-dressed crowd ventures to the Teatro Comunale for a night of lyric opera, featuring La Serva Padrona. People mill about both inside and outside the theater. Some speak of their pride in acquaintanes who will perform. Three teenage girls arrive together and sit in their own box; two look very interested though their friend appears bored. Two older women seated on the mezzanine level wave antique looking fans close to their faces. Another woman studies her program until the bell rings, indicating that the opera is about to begin. The curtain opens to the voices and movements of L'Accademia students.

Written by G.A. Federico, La Serva Padrona is one of Italy's most known, performed and loved operas. It is a comic opera about the relationship between Serpina, a young female servant, and Umberto, the lord of the house. A third character, a mime Vespone, acts as Serpina's partner in trickery and adds great humor to the piece.

The opera is broken up into two intermezzi, or parts, which mirror each other and add balance and symmetry to the opera. At the start of the first intermezzo, the curtain opens to Umberto, played by Donato DiGioia, seated in a bathtub and singing of his desire for marriage. Vespone enters as Umberto, an older man who is a bit crazy, puts on a robe. Umberto dresses and admires himself in a mirror held by Vespone, who also acts as Umberto's reflection. The servant runs about attending to his chores and dotes on his master for most of the opera. Later he and Serpina will devise a plan to deceive Umberto into marrying Serpina. The movement from the first to second interermezzo is smooth and almost undetectable. No curtain falls and there are no changes in costume other than the addition of a robe and top hat to Umberto's costume.

In the second intermezzo soprano Rena Granieri, as Serpina, sings of her desires to marry Umberto, however he is skeptical and does not believe her because of his age. Together she and Vespone play a trick on Umberto. Vespone wears the mask of Capitan Tempesta, literally "Captain Storm." He and Serpina are then able fool Umberto into thinking he must save Serpina from the evil Capitan, who beats her. Umberto eventually marries Serpina and she sings of how she is now the head of the house. The opera concludes with the two eating wedding cake, which they offer graciously to maestro Shih-Hung Young.

Because a direct translation to English does not exist, the clever title is lost, however a rough translation is "The Servant Master".