Design
1944 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is the finished design by Morris Kestelman (1905-1998) the set of the Sadler's Wells Opera production of Puccini's one-act opera Gianni Schicchi, which opened at London's Prince's Theatre on 5th December 1944. The sketch for this design is also in the Theatre Collections (S.57-2007). Morris Kestelman designed both costumes and set, and must have post-dated the designs mistakenly as 1945.
Gianni Schicchi, Puccini's only comic opera, was based on a story by Dante and set in Florence in the Middle Ages. This production starred the baritone Edmund Donlevy as the wily Gianni Schicchi who impersonates Buoso Donati on his death-bed. Donati has already died, leaving everything to a monastery, but encouraged by Donati's aggrieved relatives, Schicchi takes his place in bed and summons a lawyer to re-draft the will. To the relatives' fury he wills most of Donati's estate to himself, leaving them powerless to complain for fear of being implicated in the plot. The opera takes place in this one room, the relatives gathered around the curtained bed.
Since the production took place when London was being bombed, the first-night programme noted that the audience would be alerted to an Air Raid warning by an illuminated sign in front of the footlights, asking those who decided to leave to do so quietly, but advising them to remain.
Gianni Schicchi, Puccini's only comic opera, was based on a story by Dante and set in Florence in the Middle Ages. This production starred the baritone Edmund Donlevy as the wily Gianni Schicchi who impersonates Buoso Donati on his death-bed. Donati has already died, leaving everything to a monastery, but encouraged by Donati's aggrieved relatives, Schicchi takes his place in bed and summons a lawyer to re-draft the will. To the relatives' fury he wills most of Donati's estate to himself, leaving them powerless to complain for fear of being implicated in the plot. The opera takes place in this one room, the relatives gathered around the curtained bed.
Since the production took place when London was being bombed, the first-night programme noted that the audience would be alerted to an Air Raid warning by an illuminated sign in front of the footlights, asking those who decided to leave to do so quietly, but advising them to remain.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gouache and watercolour on cartridge paper |
| Brief description | Design for the set of Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi, Prince's Theatre, 5 December 1944. Watercolour and gouache by Morris Kestelman (1905-1998). |
| Physical description | Finished watercolour and gouache design for a box set showing a room in Gianni Schicchi's house, his curtained bed centre stage with orange curtains, an opened triptych of the Holy Virgin on the wall stage right, an open window stage left with blue shutters, and a diamond-patterned terracotta tiled floor. The design is on a sheet of cartridge paper which had been taped with brown parcel tape to a larger card backing. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Morris Kestelman 1945 (Signed in black ink bottom right) |
| Object history | Designed for the Sadler's Wells Opera Company, and produced at the Prince's Theatre opening on 5th December 1944, in a double bill with Il Tabarro. During the war, Sadler's Wells Theatre was used as a rest-home. The company worked outside London but did London seasons at the New Theatre and the Princes', returning to Sadler's Wells in 1945. |
| Production | This was probably post-dated mistakenly by Morris Kestelman since the production opened at the Prince's Theatre in 1944. |
| Summary | This is the finished design by Morris Kestelman (1905-1998) the set of the Sadler's Wells Opera production of Puccini's one-act opera Gianni Schicchi, which opened at London's Prince's Theatre on 5th December 1944. The sketch for this design is also in the Theatre Collections (S.57-2007). Morris Kestelman designed both costumes and set, and must have post-dated the designs mistakenly as 1945. Gianni Schicchi, Puccini's only comic opera, was based on a story by Dante and set in Florence in the Middle Ages. This production starred the baritone Edmund Donlevy as the wily Gianni Schicchi who impersonates Buoso Donati on his death-bed. Donati has already died, leaving everything to a monastery, but encouraged by Donati's aggrieved relatives, Schicchi takes his place in bed and summons a lawyer to re-draft the will. To the relatives' fury he wills most of Donati's estate to himself, leaving them powerless to complain for fear of being implicated in the plot. The opera takes place in this one room, the relatives gathered around the curtained bed. Since the production took place when London was being bombed, the first-night programme noted that the audience would be alerted to an Air Raid warning by an illuminated sign in front of the footlights, asking those who decided to leave to do so quietly, but advising them to remain. |
| Associated objects |
|
| Bibliographic reference | Article - In New Mood - published in the Sunday Graphic, 1944, written by Herbert Farjeon, review of the Sadler's Wells Opera's Gianni Schicchi and Il Tabarro at the Prince's Theatre |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.343-1987 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | August 29, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
