Mason Opera presents Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Telephone” and “The Old Maid and the Thief”

Mason Opera is delighted to showcase our talented vocalists in two comedic one-act operas by Gian Carlo Menotti, one of our most celebrated American operatic composers.

In The Telephone, two young lovers meet with an important question between them. But when the phone will not stop ringing, one of them must find a creative way to break through the noise.

In The Old Maid and The Thief, presented as a live radio drama broadcast, two women are caught between their façade of social propriety and the allure of a handsome stranger. But can they keep him in town long enough to win him over, AND keep their reputations intact?

Menotti is the beloved composer of the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and his fun and fast-paced style is on full display in these two one-act operas.

With a focus on real-world problems faced by everyday people, these productions were designed to appeal to modern audiences with easy-to-understand dialogue, quick pacing, and clever comedic timing.