This weekend, the Ohio University School of Music will present Comedy Tonight ' three one-act operas that provide a good introduction to the genre.
The operas ' The Telephone, A Hand of Bridge and Comedy on the Bridge ' will be accompanied by the Ohio University Symphony Orchestra and will be performed in English unlike other operas, which are presented in other languages.
The Telephone, by Gian Carlo Menotti, is a 20-minute farcical comedy about a man and his girlfriend, who uses the telephone frequently. The act shows the man preparing to propose to his girlfriend, but every time he begins to ask, she receives a phone call and he has to wait.
People will able to relate to The Telephone. Even though it was written when people used dial phones
it still applies to today said Kasey Vogel, a graduate student who is performing in Comedy on the Bridge. We all know people who are attached to their cell phones.
The second opera is Samuel Barber's black comedy, A Hand of Bridge. The 10-minute opera revolves around two couples playing cards together. As the opera progresses, each character sings about what they are truly thinking. We decided to use Menotti and Barber together because they were partners and great forces in music for a long time said Richard Crist, the director of the Opera Theater.
The final opera is Comedy on the Bridge by Bohuslav Martinu. The 40-minute situational comedy takes place on a bridge between two opposing armies. A young woman and a brewer become stuck on the bridge, as they are allowed entry but not allowed to exit the bridge. The characters' spouses find them together and accuse them of infidelity, but as the sounds of battle approach, the two couples make up and their army wins the battle.
The point that it makes is that war is pointless. What's really important are the relationships between people and what we mean to each other
said Crist, who designed the scenery for all three operas.
Comedy on the Bridge has the most elaborate scenery, Crist said, adding that he wanted to create the feel of a children's pop-up book to match the opera's over-the-top acting.
I think students should come see the show because it covers all the different types of comedy
said Heather Keith, graduate student who is performing in The Telephone. There's a lot of variety.
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Mallory Long
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Playing the part of Josephine Popelka, Kasey Vogel plays with fish during the Comedy Tonight rehearsal. Presented by the Ohio University School of Music Opera Theater, the performance consists of three acts that combine comedy and music on stage. Comedy
