 A
collection of six comic mini-operas, each
about seven minutes long. For each piece,
the words have been humorously updated whilst
the music is mostly that of the original
composer with a modicum of new and transitioning
pieces by Christopher Wortley. They can
be performed virtually anywhere …
all that is required is a keyboard, the
performers and a few simple props.
Each piece provides a lot of scope for
either a new or an experienced director
to make his/her mark and are ideal for amateur
musical societies who regularly put on ‘songs
from the shows’ concerts as something
different or diverting in the middle. Alternatively,
three or four could be run together as a
30 minute item for ‘opera-aficianado’
audiences.
Most of the pieces are scored for a single
piano with a Soprano, an Alto, a Tenor and
a Bass singers plus a non-singing performer/narrator.
(In ‘Orpheus Can’t …’,
the fifth performer is a ‘cello-playing
Alto, but it is easy for a production team
to work round this if no ‘cellist
is available). 
The accompanying pianist needs to be quite
experienced - and because a lot of the music
is based on real operas the singers need
to be fairly competent … either used
to singing opera or operetta, or at least
having the full Musical Theatre range with
an ear for opera. The scores include dialogue
and notes to the director about the props
that are recommended for the visual jokes.
The six titles are as follows:-
- Cosi Couples
- The story of ‘Cosi Fan Tutti’
– as if told on a TV chat show by
the two couples themselves, using Mozart’s
music
- Gingerbread Jinx
- The story of Hansel and Gretel, but
as eco-warriors in a pantomime style,
using Humperdink’s music
- Ready, Steady,
Cook - Two culinary teams compete
in TV’s ‘Ready Steady Cook’,
but as G&S characters using Gilbertian
words and Sullivan’s music
- Sleeping Beauty
- A re-telling of the fairy tale with
anti-ageing as an underlying theme, using
music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet
- Orpheus Can’t
But Pluto Can-Can - A re-telling
of ‘Orpheus In The Underworld’
with much anticipation of the orgy at
the end, using Offenbach’s music
- Miss Swan Lake
- Learn how the story of ‘Swan Lake’
can be easily muddled with ‘Miss
Saigon’, with music from Tchaikovsky’s
ballet
Originally commissioned and performed
by the professional touring theatre company,
Fingask Follies.
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