La Périchole
Music by Jacques Offenbach
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
The Story of the Opera
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West Bay Opera’s 47th Season (2002-2003) La Périchole Music by Jacques Offenbach Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy The Story of the Opera |
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| Act I | Act II | Act III | |||
| Act I: The Plaza in Lima, Peru | |||
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A crowd gathers in the square in front of The Three Cousins Cabaret to toast Don Andrès (Roberto Perlas Gomez), Viceroy of Peru, who orders free drinks for all. | ||
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Panatellas (Mark Hernandez), First Gentleman of the Bedchamber, and Don Pedro (Michael Morris), Mayor of Lima, are disguised as street vendors to monitor the crowd’s response to the Viceroy. | ||
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The Viceroy (Roberto Perlas Gomez) greets the Three Cousins (Ariela Morgenstern, Heidi Moss, Amy Stalcup) who pretend not to recognize him disguised as The Great Escargot, Matador of Manhattan. | ||
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Trying to earn the four pesos they need to get married, Piquillo (Brett Colby) and Périchole (Layna Chianakas) sing “The Spaniard and the Fair Indian Girl.” | ||
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Seduced by the Viceroy’s offer of food and finery, Périchole plans her farewell letter to Piquillo. | ||
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The Three Cousins deliver the letter to Piquillo, who is just a blur of frenzied despair. | ||
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Piquillo, knowing he has lost Périchole forever, decides to hang himself using a convenient stool, while the Viceroy plies Périchole with food and drink. | ||
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Périchole admits that she is quite tipsy, which is fine with the Viceroy who hopes she will agree to wed a stranger in order to fulfill Article 76B—all Ladies-in-Waiting must be married. | ||
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Too drunk to know who he is marrying, Piquillo accepts Périchole’s hand and the two notaries (Eric Wenburg, Ken Malucelli) make the wedding official. | ||
| Act I | Act II | Act III | |||
| Act II: The Palace of the Viceroy | |||
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Tarapote (Eric Wenburg), Lord Chamberlain to the Viceroy, is overcome by the news that a street singer is now living at the palace. | ||
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Tarapote tells the Ladies-in-Waiting (Kathleen Moss, Heidi Moss, Amy Stalcup, Ariela Morgenstern) that Périchole has been seen more than once entertaining the public in front of a questionable establishment called The Three Cousins. | ||
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All are horrified that Périchole is about to become a new Lady-in-Waiting and will receive a title—Countess of Tabago. | ||
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Hiding behind the couch, Piquillo listens as the courtiers gossip, and discovers that he is married to the Viceroy’s mistress. | ||
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Périchole (Layna Chianakas) assures the Viceroy (Roberto Perlas Gomez) that she can control Piquillo, as Panatellas (Mark Hernandez) and Don Pedro (Michael Morris) listen in. | ||
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Périchole informs Piquillo that his head is made of solid bone and that he should have confidence in her strategy. | ||
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But Piquillo (Brett Colby) is too honest to go along with the deception and tells the Viceroy that he can have Périchole since she is as false as she is fair. | ||
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Stunned by this unusual reaction, the Viceroy banishes Piquillo to the dungeon cell reserved for recalcitrant husbands. | ||
| Act I | Act II | Act III | |||
| Act III, Scene 1: The Dungeon | |||
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Alone in the cell for recalcitrant husbands, Piquillo (Brett Colby) wonders if Périchole is thinking of him, too. | ||
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Périchole (Layna Chianakas) assures Piquillo that he is the rogue she adores. | ||
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Périchole and Piquillo try to bribe Jolly Jailer Jim (Roberto Perlas Gomez) with a diamond ring the Viceroy has given her. | ||
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Shedding his disguise, the Viceroy (Roberto Perlas Gomez) orders Piquillo and Périchole chained to the wall. | ||
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Luckily the Old Prisoner (Rick Rubenstein) has spent the last 12 years tunneling through the wall and emerges with his beloved bassoon and trusty pen knife to help Piquillo and Périchole escape from their chains. | ||
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The three overpower the Viceroy, bind him with their chains, and Piquillo and Périchole sing a victorious song accompanied by the Old Prisoner on his bassoon. | ||
| Act III, Scene 2: The Plaza | |||
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Cornered by the soldiers in the plaza, Piquillo (Brett Colby) and Périchole (Layna Chianakas) ask permission to sing a final song together. | ||
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Accompanied by the Old Prisoner (Rick Rubenstein) on bassoon, Périchole and Piquillo sing of their adventures and forgiveness by a wise sovereign. Overcome, the Viceroy restores their riches and titles as Count and Countess of Tabago. | ||
Act I | Act II | Act III | |||