IVAN JEVTIC
MANDRAGOLA
Book & Buy Tickets
Odštampaj
Comic opera
Verses by Vesna Miladinovic after the original comedy by Niccolo Machiavelli
Conductor: Olivier Grangean, France / Vesna Souc-Trickovic
Director: Slobodan Unkovski, Macedonia
Scenography: Meta Hocevar, Slovenia
Costumes: Angelina Atlagic
Lighting Design: Srdjan Jovanovic
Stage Movement: Dimitris Sotiriou, Greece
Drawings: Dusan Petricic
Characters:
MESSER NICIA, Isabella's husband
Miodrag Misa Jovanovic / Nenad Jakovljevic
ISABELLA ( Lucretia of the original comedy )
Snezana Savicic-Sekulic / Dubravka Arsic
CALLIMACO, Isabella's lover
Vladimir Andric / Predrag Milanovic
SOSTRATA, Isabella's mother
Tanja Obrenovic / Aneta Ilic
SIRO, the servant
Ljubomir Popovic / Darko Djordjevic
FRIAR TIMOTEO, the priest
Nenad Jakovljevic / Goran Krneta
LIGURIO, the neighbour
Sasa Stulic / Goran Strgar
Madlenianum Opera & Theatre Orchestra
Concert Master: Balint Varga
Music prepared by: Vesna Souc-Trickovic, conductor
Dragana Andjelic-Bunjac, correpetition
Assistant Director and Stage Manager: Vesna Petrovic-Curcic
Producer: Suzana Ilievska
Scenography Assistant: Marko Vusic Costumography Assistant: Filip Jevtic Programme Organiser: Milos Lazic Stage Master: Milan Ciric Light: Zoran Perisic Video: Zvonimir Jelusic Masks: Mirjana Rakic
Prompters: Zorica Popovic i Silvija Pec
Scenery and Costume Workshop: Madlenianum Opera & Theatre House.
MANDRAGOLA
Plot Summary
The action takes place in the medieval city of Florence.
Young Callimaco returns to town after spending 20 years abroad. As soon as he sets his eyes on the beautiful young Lucrezia he falls in love with her, however he finds out that she is married to an old, wealthy merchant Nicia.
Callimaco confides in his friend Ligurio, a crafty, cunning marriage broker who promises him that he will come up with a plan so that Callimaco may have his moment of bliss with Lucrezia.
Ligurio quickly discovers the Nicia's week point - he learns of the couple’s unfruitful attempts to produce a child. This presents an opportunity for Ligurio to recommend the right person to help Nicia. He introduces Callimaco as a doctor who cured the French royalty and enabled them to produce heirs. According to him, the cure is simple – Lucrezia will get pregnant immediately if she drinks a potion made of the mandrake plant. The only problem is that the first man ho sleeps with her afterwards will die from the remaining effects of the potion. Therefore, according to Ligurio's advice, Nicia must not do this, but he offers to find another man, willing to lie down with Lucrezia after she drinks the potion and die instead.
With the assistance of Sostrata, Lucrezia's insidious mother and Friar Timoteo, a deceitful priest, plotting all together for Lucrezia consent to this act of betrayal with a stranger, they are preparing to carry out their plan.
It was a dark and stormy night when Nicia, Ligurio and Friar Timoteo cached Callimaco disguised as a beggar and pushed him into Lucrezia's bed. At dawn, Nicias trows him out in the street. In the morning they all go to church to be blessed by Friar Timoteo and celebrate the arrival of the future heir.
Lucretia, happy and content after the pleasurable night she has spent, suggests to Nicia to ask «doctor» Callimaco to be the child's godfather as he helped them so much. Nicia joyfully accepts this, and gives godfather the keys to their house, so he may come and leave whenever he wants.
