The Old Maid and the Thief

press release: Two performances – Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9, 6:30 PM, Music Hall.

This free production is entirely student-run by graduate and undergraduate students in the Mead Witter School of Music at UW-Madison. Our goal with this production is to treat our audience to an evening of laughter and enjoyable music, but also to give the students involved the chance to perform at a high level. It can be difficult for young singers to find opportunities to perform operatic roles in their entirety, and this production will grant four wonderful singers that very opportunity, not to mention our two extremely talented pianists!

Cast:

Miss Todd – Brooke Wahlstrom (M.M.)

Laetitia – Carly Ochoa (M.M.)

Bob – Jake Elfner (B.M.)

Miss Pinkerton – Amanda Lauricella (D.M.A.)

Pianists – Adalia Hernandez Abrego (B.M.) & Alyssa Smith (B.M.)

Director/Conductor – Matt Chastain (M.M.)

Synopsis:

Originally written for NBC radio, Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera The Old Maid and the Thief exposes the gossips and secrets of a seemingly quiet town. In this fast-paced and melodramatic opera buffa, the middle-aged spinster Miss Todd, who spends most of her days simply knitting and gossiping with fellow spinster Miss Pinkerton, has her world turned upside-down when a beggar knocks at her door one rainy afternoon. She and her maid Laetitia quickly become smitten with the handsome wanderer and are eager to shelter him. Even when they find out that he may be an escaped convict, they turn to stealing and robbery to keep him around. Having corrupted all of her morals, Miss Todd is then devastated to discover that not only does Bob not care for her, but he is in fact not the thief. Bob does, however, turn to thievery when he and Laetitia run away together with all of Miss Todd’s money when she threatens to pin her own crimes on him.

This comedy was originally conceived for and performed on the radio in 1939, and the first staged version did not appear for another three years.