Gianni 'B.Good': Amarillo Opera to perform Puccini with a twist before Sock Hop fundraiser

Amarillo Opera hosts a one-act opera of Gianni "B.Good" Schicchi at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, located at 500 S Buchanan St. Following the performance, the Opera will host their Sock Hop afterparty fundraiser.

The Opera, a comedy created by Giacomo Puccini, begins just after the death of a wealthy aristocrat, Buoso Donati. The deceased aristocrat's family returns for the death expecting a large inheritance, only to find that he had written in his will to give his fortune to the monastery. The family then hires the clever Gianni Schicchi to create a counterfeit will, giving each family member what they want. Schicchi does complete the will, but of course had to skim a not-so-little bit for himself, resulting in even more twists and turns.

"Although there is the whole drama of all of his relatives wanting all of Donati's things, the real center of the opera is a love story between the characters Rinuccio and Lauretta, who fell in love but the family disapproves and them trying to come together. The heart of the story is really about love," Amarillo Opera General and Artistic Director Mary Jane Johnson said.

Angelo Silva, portraying Rinuccio, and Cassi Gardner, portraying Lauretta, spoke about their on-stage love story and how they work together to create the perfect one-act comedy for the audience and first-time viewers.

"Whatever you may know or not know about opera, kind of leave that at the door and just experience this with fresh ears and fresh eyes. This production will be in English, so you will really be able to understand and feel the story a little more personally than if it was in Italian," Silva said.

"This opera is a great intro for anyone who has never seen an opera, while also offering some of the most famous arias for those opera lovers. I think that night will be the perfect night to just try us out and experience something new," Gardner said.

According to Johnson, this one-act production is the perfect opera for first-time viewers, not only for its shorter time frame, but also because the entire aria will be sung in English. In addition to the change of its native Italian, the production has also experienced a change of scenery and time, now set locally in the 1960s sock hop era.

Following the production, the Amarillo Opera will host their Sock Hop fundraiser coinciding with the performance. During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy live music performed by Insufficient Funds, a meal catered by O.H.M.S., a wine pull, and a silent auction now available online at the official Amarillo Opera webpage, as well as a live auction including items such as a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico; a trip to see the Fort Worth Opera complete with a stay in a luxury condo; earrings by Graham Brothers Jewelers; a signed poster from Taylor Swift; a trip to the California vineyards; and more.

"These funds raised with this event will benefit our whole program, from education to production, with a great emphasis on the education side," Johnson said.

The fundraiser will immediately follow the Gianni Schicchi production. Although the event will be Sock Hop themed, guests are not required to dress up. Tickets to the Sock Hop Fundraiser are limited and available at $150 per person. Tickets can be purchased by phone by calling the Opera Office at 806.732.7464, or in person at 2223 S. Van Buren St.

More information and tickets to Gianni Schicchi are available online at https://www.amarilloopera.org/ourseason .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Opera to host Puccini one-act production, Sock Hop fundraiser