TRUFFALDINO

2021 / 2022                 Main Hall                  the 9th Season

10 October * Sunday * 6.00 pm

 

TOUR of

The Karaganda Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy

 

Alexander Kolker

Truffaldino

Musical in 2 acts

Libretto by C. Goldoni, based on the play The Servant of Two Masters

 

The premiere of the performance took place on 1 March 2012

 

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Stage Director: People's Artist of Russia, Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yuri ALEKSANDROV (Russia, St. Petersburg)

Set Designer: People's Artist of Russia, Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan Vyacheslav OKUNEV (Russia, St. Petersburg)

Choreographer: Nadezhda KALININA (Russia, St. Petersburg)

Chorus Master: Holder of the Order of Kurmet Tatiana SHTYKOVA

 

HISTORICAL NOTE

Truffaldino is a character in the Italian commedia dell'arte, one of the names of the second zanni of the northern (Venetian) quartet of Harlequin masks. The city of Bergamo is considered the birthplace of the Harlequin. The scene of the plays about Truffaldino is the richest Venice, to which he fled in search of a better life, leaving his native Bergamo. Another three male characters are Brighella, Pantalone and Doctor (Lombardi). They are part of the same Venetian mask quartet as Harlequin-Truffaldino. Smeraldina is another name for Columbina, who belongs to the same ensemble of masks; a zanni girl who traditionally serves in the house of Pantalone or Doctor. “Harlequin’s” dress is also one of the attributes of Columbina.

 

SYNOPSYS

The action takes place in 18th century Venice. Rascal Truffaldino gets employed as a servant to one signor by the name of Federico Rasponi, helping him to repel the attack. His first master is a disguised girl, the noblewoman Beatrice Rasponi. Under the guise of her late brother, she tries to find her lover, Florindo Aretusi.

 

The disguised Beatrice comes to the house of the Venetian merchant Pantalone, where everyone is sure that Rasponi has died. This is what is explained to poor Truffaldino, who by tradition went up into the house first to announce the master's visit. After this visit, while the new master was engrossed with business, the hungry Truffaldino served another signor and also got employed by him as a servant… However, after this, the first “deceased” master, who has settled in the same hotel, returns and Truffaldino decides to serve both to receive double salaries. The second master turns out to be Florindo himself, wanted by the authorities on suspicion of murdering Beatrice’s brother in a duel, who fled to Venice afterwards.

 

For some time, more due to his luck than resourcefulness, Truffaldino successfully serves both masters, getting into comic situations and coming out of them with agility. Beatrice, under the name Federico, has to pretend that she is expecting a wedding with the daughter of the old Pantalone, betrothed to the late Federico. But Clarice loves Silvio, the son of Dr. Lombardi, whom the arrival of the fake Federico deprives of all hopes of Clarice's hand. In the end, everything ends well: Beatrice reunites with Florindo, Clarice marries Silvio, and even Truffaldino finds a wife – Clarice's servant, Smeraldina.

 

Running time: 2 hours