Celebrating its 100th birthday, Puccini’s IL TRITTICO, a monumental trio of emotional drama and powerful lyrical sweep, explores the extraordinary pain that dysfunctional families can inflict upon each other. Even without their melodramatic brother IL TABARRO, SUOR ANGELICA and GIANNI SCHICCHI shine a spotlight on appalling, familial behavior. (And as a matter of convenience for our audience and production considerations, they will be paired.) Though these masterworks are set in earlier centuries of Italian history, GSU Opera Theater will set SISTER ANGELICA and JOHNNY SKEEKY in 1966 Nevada. The Carmel of Our Lady of the Mountains, Reno, was taking root (with its own share of negative publicity), and Las Vegas was enjoying a “Renaissance” with Howard Hughes’ new influence on its personality, politics, and economy, stripping the Mafia of its traditional stronghold. (Such concepts are exercised, not to improve Puccini and Forzano’s labor, but to make their genius more accessible to our culture.) SUOR ANGELICA is a heartbreaking story of a young woman whose family sequesters her after a shocking sexual impropriety. After seven years of silence, the family matriarch, Angelica’s aunt, condescends to visit. Not only does she insist Angelica forgo her inheritance, she informs her niece of the death of her infant son…whose existence was the bane of the family. “Johnny Skeeky”, however, is a lighter take on dysfunctional families. At the death of their ancient uncle, the Godfather of Vegas, Donati family members hear that their inheritance will be left to Aimee Semple McPherson’s Foursquare Church of the Angelus Temple. Determined to fight the system, they hire Johnny Skeeky to impersonate their uncle in order to dictate a new will. Chaos ensues!
Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
15 Gilmer St SE, Atlanta GA, 30303
musicpr@gsu.edu
