Il Tabarro - OTG '08-'09 season

Act I of Il Trittico

Suor Angelica

Gianni Schicchi

A love triangle leads to a gruesome murder... Il Tabarro
Music Director		William Todd Hunt
Stage Director		Roald Simonson
Scenic Designer		Akiko Nishijima *
Lighting Designer		Lucas Hoiland
Costume Designer		Rick Silaj *

Giorgetta, Michele's wife		Cyndee Simpson Sugar
Michele, a bargeman		Philippe Damerval
Luigi, a longshoreman		Brett Crawford
La Frugola, Talpa's wife		Cheryl Crawford
Il Tinca, a longshoreman		Jay Query
Il Talpa, a longshoreman		David Miller
A street vendor		Peter Anderegg
A midinette		Andria Budbill
A midinette		Wendy Byrnes
A midinette		Mary Erickson*
two lovers		Jill Geering Matheson
		Aaron Elmore
voce di sopranino lontano		Wendy Byrnes
voce di tenorino lontano		Jay Query

* denontes OTG debut artist

	Dockhands have almost finished unloading Michele's barge, anchored off the bank of the River Seine just outside Paris. It's sunset and Giorgetta, the young wife of the master, offers something to drink to all; an organ player passes along the bank and il Tinca starts dancing with Giorgetta, but he's a clumsy dancer and is immediately replaced by the younger Luigi. The master returns and while Luigi, il Tinca and il Talpa return to unloading the cargo, he an Giorgetta talk of future jobs; in the meantime, a seller of songs arrives on the bank and offers his wares to a few seamstresses who have just finished work. Michele’s in a bad mood, while Giorgetta is happy because Paris is very close now. The wife of il Talpa, la Frugola, arrives concerned about her man’s bad back; she’s brought with her a bag full of things she’s picked up as she wandered around the city and also shows Giorgetta a carton with some food for Caporale, her favourite cat. The working day ends; il Tinca goes off to the inn to cancel out the day’s fatigue, while the others stop to chat with Giorgetta, and Michele goes down into the hold. La Frugola dreams of a cottage in the country where she can rest with her husband and cat, Luigi and Giorgetta meanwhile recall with emotion life in Paris. Once la Frugola and il Talpa have gone off, Luigi stays behind with the excuse that he still wants to talk to the master; in reality, however, he just wants to be alone with Giorgetta, with whom he exchanges some ardent words of love. Michele reappears and Luigi asks that he leaves him in Rouen the next day: Michele manages to dissuade him and so Luigi decides to continue working on the barge. It’s getting dark and the lights need to be lit, so Michele goes down into the cabin, while the two lovers make arrangements to meet later, once Michele is asleep: the all-clear will be a lit match. Michele and Giorgetta are left alone; he recalls the past, when they all lived happily together, but now Giorgetta is worried, perhaps the memory of her lost child won't let her sleep. Now, however, she says she's tired and goes down into the hold just as a couple wander along the bank singing. Michele stays behind, with dark thoughts in his mind and, wrapped in his heavy cloak, gazes at the black water as the river flows past; then he takes his pipe from his pocket and lights it. Luigi, believing it to be the agreed signal, carefully advances; Michele recognises him, grabs him and puts his hands around his neck, makes him confess his guilt and then kills him. Giorgetta returns, disturbed by all the noise; Michele wraps his cloak around the lifeless body of Luigi, still in his embrace. Giorgetta comes forward, alarmed, and Michele asks her to sit next to him. Then he stands up, opening his cloak, and Luigi's body falls to the ground; Giorgetta screams and makes to get away, but Michele grabs her and violently pushes her against the face of her dead lover.