Gianni Schicchi

Gianni Schicchi is the rare comedic opera from Puccini’s pen which also happens to feature one of his most beautiful and best-known arias “O mio babbino caro.” Based on a character drawn from Dante’s Inferno and set in medieval Florence, Italy in 1299, this one-act, hour-long opera, sung in Italian, is a fabulous ensemble piece, requiring split-second timing and fast-paced choreography. It is a classic tale of greed amongst a cast of quarrelsome and conniving relatives. Aunts, uncles and cousins literally trip over each other in virtuoso fashion bent on profiting from the death of their “dear Uncle Buoso Donati.” Gianni Schicchi is a perfect “first opera” for children and adults alike.