Marionette troupe revives Haydn opera

The Colla Marionette Company, which has a long-standing relationship with Spoleto USA, is bringing a rare treasure to Charleston.

"Philemon and Baucis," an opera written for marionettes by Joseph Haydn, tells a story in which the god Jupiter resurrects two characters from the ashes. As fate would have it, the opera score itself was destroyed by fire and lost for two centuries.

"It's a jewel," said Piero Corbella, manager of the Colla Marionettes, about the marionette opera that was performed only twice -- in 1773 for the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa and once more in 1776 -- before disappearing.

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The opera, one of six that Haydn wrote specifically for marionettes, was rediscovered in 1935. "When we performed it two years ago in Siena, we won a special prize from the Italian music critics association," said Corbella.

The Colla Marionettes will present "Philemon and Baucis" at Spoleto Festival USA tonight through Tuesday at the Emmett Robinson Theatre at the College of Charleston.

The story of "Philemon and Baucis" begins with Jupiter and Mercury visiting the home of Philemon and Baucis, then bringing back to life Philemon's son and his son's bride, who were struck by lightning on their wedding day.

The Colla Marionette Company is a family-run institution established in 1835, only a few years after Haydn's death in 1809. In the tradition of the times, everything onstage is handmade by members of the company.

"The main characteristics of the production are the same as in the 19th century," said Corbella. "The marionettes are made of wood, the wigs of human hair, and the dresses of natural material much as they would be 100 years ago."

A dozen puppeteers will manipulate the marionettes. Offstage, a cast of four singers and two actors will perform the vocal and spoken parts, accompanied by members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.

In the role of Philemon will be tenor Hugo Vera, who made his Avery Fisher Hall debut in the American premiere of Pietro Mascagni's "Il Piccolo Marat" last year and has performed at the Metropolitan Opera.

Soprano Monica Yunus, who previously appeared at Spoleto USA in 2005 as Zerlina in "Don Giovanni," will sing Baucis.

From Pinocchio to The Muppets, puppetry and marionettes have been a popular form of entertainment. In 19th century Italy, however, marionettes served as much more.

"Travelling marionette troupes were the mass media of the time," said Corbella. "Their productions conveyed historical happenings such as the Italian movement for independence, the Napoleonic wars and the revolutions in mid-19th century Europe."

In 18th- and 19th-century Europe, marionettes brought together everyone from the servant to the nobleman.

The art of puppetry has a broad appeal. Scott Shershow, author of the book "Puppets and 'Popular' Culture," said Jim Henson's creations also spoke to parents.

"The Muppets went back and forth between being for children and adults," wrote Shershow. "They have a witty side that makes it impossible to designate them as high or low culture."

In addition, marionettes can create an illusion of reality. "They appear so life-like because they're often manipulated from quite far above," said Shershow. "They never remain still."

He said many people perceive marionettes as being much larger than they are because they seem so realistic. "Your mind compensates and you start seeing them as life size," he said.

The Colla Marionettes have been a part of the history of the Spoleto Festival from the beginning. As a child in Italy, Gian Carlo Menotti, composer and founder of the Spoleto Festivals in Italy and in Charleston, would travel with his parents to watch the company perform in Milan.

At the age of 11, Menotti wrote his first opera, "The Death of Pierrot," for marionettes.

When Menotti was organizing the first Spoleto Festival in Italy in 1957, he invited the Colla troupe to perform. It made its first Charleston appearance in 1987.

Rebecca Schmid is a Goldring Arts Program writer. Reach her at rschmid@syr.edu.