Kulturverein Redtenbach | Concept & Stage Direction
The Telephone
G. Menotti
The opera takes place in current times. Ben comes to visit his girlfriend Lucy at her apartment; he wants to propose to her before he leaves on a trip. He tries to get her attention to ask his question, but Lucy is constantly occupied with conversations on the telephone. After receiving an upsetting call from a friend, Lucy leaves the room. Ben meanwhile tries to cut the internet router network cable , but his attempt is unsuccessful because Lucy stops him at the last minute. Being frustrated and not wanting to miss his train, Ben leaves without asking Lucy for her hand in marriage. But Ben makes one last attempt: He video-calls Lucy from the street and makes his proposal. She says yes, and the two join in a romantic duet over video call, at the end of which Lucy makes sure that Ben remembers her phone number.
Ensemble
Lucy : Lena Stöckelle
Ben. : Ivo Kovrigar
Piano : Karen Villegas
Scenic Direction : Nais Leal
Costume & Stage design : Paula Castellano
The Telephone - Kulturverein Redtenbach, Wien
The concept
Nais Leal
In this one-act opera, written in 1946, Menotti chose the telephone as an example of interference of personal communication. The presence of the device makes it very difficult for Ben to communicate his wishes to Lucy before he has to leave, so he decides to approach her in a different way.
What would Menotti or the characters of The Telephone think about the many disruptions or distractions that the digital world has brought us? On the one hand, technology makes long-distance communication very easy and diverse, providing us with different methods and languages (video calls, text and audio messages, photos, emojis, etc.); on the other hand, it interferes with communication when we are talking to someone in person, when we are not aware of our surroundings or cannot remember what the other person has said.
