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Cast of Characters

Ghost Enrico

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A non-singing role. The ghost of tenor Enrico Caruso is one of two narrator-host-escorts, together with Ghost Frances.

“L’amore--it is as unpredictable as an earthquake! And as one who narrowly survived the San Francisco Earthquake--”

Ghost Frances

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A non-singing role. The ghost of soprano Frances Alda is one of two narrator-host-escorts, together with Ghost Enrico.

“Enrico. Dear. Enough with the earthquake already.”

Caruso

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Tenor. Already renowned as the “World’s Greatest Tenor” well before 1908, Enrico Caruso dresses elegantly and has fun with it. Like his ghost counterpart, Caruso is presented initially and comically as a lovable womanizer with a penchant for Neapolitan sayings that don’t quite bridge the translation gap.

Alda

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Soprano. Frances Alda, a soprano from New Zealand, was described as “redheaded, strikingly buxom.” Comparing herself to her husband, Giulio Gatti-Casazza (see Vissi History), the real Alda characterized herself as “gay, adventure-loving, enthusiastic.”

Farrar

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Soprano. Geraldine Farrar, age 26 in 1908, is ambitious and pretentious, with piercing blue eyes. Farrar’s fame equaled that of Caruso for a time. Her French pronunciation is less than perfect. One music critic recalled, “I thought she was a marvelous and very well put together fake.”

Toscanini

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A non-singing role. Conductor Arturo Toscanini, age 41 in 1908, is dark-eyed and intense, with black mustaches.

“The only ‘stars,’ mademoiselle, are in the heavens!”

Gatti

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A non-singing role. Giulio Gatti-Casazza, General Director of La Scala in Milan and later the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City, is 39 in 1908. His first wife, soprano Frances Alda (see Vissi History), described him as “dark, brooding, introverted.”

Supporting Cast

In addition to the primary characters above, there are additional supporting roles and several interchangeable bit parts. These include roles based on ballet dancer Rosina Galli, silent-movie star Lou Tellegen, and a German-accented amalgam of Wagnerian sopranos Olive Fremstad and Joanna Gadski. See the full manuscript for details.
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Vissi d’Arte is on file with the United States Copyright Office; the registration number is PAu2-909-657. All rights are reserved to the copyright holder(s) or their assignees.
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