Setting: The village of Montalto in Calabria
On the Feast of the Assumption (August 15) in the late 1860s.

  

Prologue. The opera opens with a brief orchestral introduction that presages the drama to follow. Tonio, one of the players, comes through the curtain and asks the audience’s indulgence for a moment to explain their work. These players, he says, are not just false beings without hearts, but rather, players in a fragment from life. And the story they have to tell is true. Beckoning the audience, Tonio knocks on the curtain saying, “Come let’s begin.” Act I. At the entrance to a small Italian village, a crowd is gathered around a little stage in anticipation of the excitement to come. They soon hear the sounds of a drum and watch excitedly as a procession of acrobats, jugglers, mimes, magicians and other performers come into view/ The troupe halts before the little theatre, and Canio, the “Pagliaccio,” hammers his bass drum to announce their performance that evening. He turns to help his wife Nedda down, but Tonio, the misshapen clown, is there before him, much to the amusement of the crowd. Canio boxes him on the ear, and Tonio slinks off. One of the men suggests they go off for a drink, and Canio invites Tonio along. When Tonio refuses, the villagers suggest he might want to stay behind with Nedda, to which Canio reacts angrily at first, then dismisses as he goes over to kiss his wife. Church bells start ringing in the village, and the people begin to drift off, singing on their way to mass. As the voices drift away, Nedda is left alone to muse over the jealous fire she saw in Canio’s eyes. But who wants to face unpleasant thoughts on such a lovely day? As she looks up into the sky and thinks of the freedom of the birds, she forgets her own tawdry world. Her musing is interrupted by the unwelcome appearance of Tonio. He tells her that he could not resist her singing, then goes on to pour out his love for her. Nedda orders him to go or she will call Canio. But he persists, and when he attempts to kiss her, she lashes at him with a whip. Tonio screams with pain and slinks off, vowing his vengeance. No sooner has Tonio gone, than Silvio, the villager she had been dallying with on previous evenings, approaches. She is alarmed to see him in daylight, but he assures her that Canio is still at the tavern. Nedda tells Silvio of Tonio’s threats and asks him to be cautious, but he laughs at her fears, pleads his love, and begs her to run away with him. Nedda is tempted, but remains fearful, until she eventually yields to the bliss of the moment and consents to go. So lost are they in the ecstasy of their passion that they are not aware of Canio who, warned by Tonio, approaches just in time to hear Nedda’s parting exclamation, “Till tonight, then – and forever I’ll be yours.” Hearing Canio cry out, Silvio scoots away. Canio runs to follow him, pushing Nedda aside as Tonio looks on, laughing in glee. Canio returns, out of breath, exhausted, and trembling with anger. The outraged husband commands his wife to tell him the name of her lover, but she refuses. Wild with jealousy, he rushes at her with a knife, but is restrained by Beppe, who tells him it is time to put on his costume and get ready for the show. They all leave to get into their own costumes as Canio, worn out by passion and jealousy, wonders how he can possibly perform while in this frenzy, at the same realizing that the show must go on. Act II. It is time for the performance, and in the audience is Silvio, who cannot keep his eyes off Nedda. As the play begins, Nedda, dressed as Columbina, is alone on the stage, nervously awaiting someone, although she tells the audience that her husband will not be home till later that evening. Soon she hears a serenade outside her window, and opens it to Arlecchino, her lover. Before Arlecchino can enter, however, Taddeo arrives, and tries to make love to Columbina. Her reply is a demand for the chicken he had been sent to fetch, which he produces with much buffoonery. Soon Arlecchino enters and leads him out by the ear. With Taddeo banished, the lovers can make merry. Arlecchino gives Columbina a little vial, telling her to give it to Pagliaccio. As Columbina assents, Taddeo returns to alert them of the coming of Pagliaccio. Arlecchino manages to escape just as Pagliaccio enters, hearing Columbina call to him the very same words she had spoken earlier to Silvio, “Till tonight then – and forever I’ll be yours!” This is almost too much for Canio, who forgets for a moment his part of Pagliaccio. Then recalling he is supposed to be acting, he continues with his lines, asking who had been there. She insists it was only the clown, Taddeo, who has been hiding. Again, Canio forgets his part, and demands to know her lover’s name. Nedda replies jokingly, but Canio will have none of it. Throwing aside his role, he tells her he is a man seeking vengeance. The audience, not knowing that this is not part of the play, cries “Bravo!” Nedda tries to continue her role of the frivolous Columbina, but Canio is crazed with anger and jealousy. He again demands her lover’s name, but Nedda boldly refuses. In the audience, Silvio draws his dagger, but is not fast enough. Canio has caught Nedda and stabs her. In a dying gasp, she calls out to Silvio, and Canio, instantly alert, springs forward to stab him, too. Then, stupefied, he lets the knife fall and, addressing the audience for the last time, exclaims, “The comedy is ended.”

Drew Slatton - Tenor
Synopsis by Billie Tucker
Web page by JOHN FRAIOLI