Overview
Synopsis
Originally written for NBC radio, Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera The Old Maid and the Thief exposes the gossips and secrets of a seemingly quiet town. The middle-aged spinster Miss Todd, who spends most of her days simply knitting and gossiping with fellow spinster Miss Pinkerton, has her world turned upside-down when a beggar knocks at her door one rainy afternoon. She and her maid Laetitia quickly become smitten with the handsome wanderer and are eager to shelter him. Even when they find out that he may be an escaped convict, they turn to stealing and robbery to keep him around. Having corrupted all of her morals, Miss Todd is then devastated to discover that not only does Bob not care for her, but he is in fact not the thief. Bob does, however, turn to thievery when he and Laetitia run away together with all of Miss Todd’s money when she threatens to pin her own crimes on him. A fast-paced and melodramatic opera buffa, The Old Maid and the Thief shows exactly how “the devil couldn’t do what a woman can: make a thief of an honest man!”
Show Information
- Music
- Gian Carlo Menotti
- Libretto
- Gian Carlo Menotti
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1939
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- a small town, contemporary (1930s)
- Cast Size
- small
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- None
- Ideal For
- Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult Characters, Small Cast
Context
Menotti is a bit of an anomaly in the opera world in that he did not write most of his operas for big opera houses. Most of his works were premiered in other venues or other media--in chamber settings, on Broadway, on television. The Old Maid and the Thief is no exception. Commissioned by NBC radio, the opera was written specifically for that medium, and premiered on NBC on April 22, 1939. Because it was originally designed to be heard and not seen, the music itself often quite blatantly
to read the context for The Old Maid and the Thief and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
One stormy afternoon, the middle-aged spinster Miss Todd is visited at home by her friend Miss Pinkerton. As they do most days, they pass the time gossiping, pining over lost loves, knitting, and drinking tea. A sudden knock at the back door interrupts them, and the young maid Laetitia excitedly reports that there is a man to see Miss Todd. They rush Miss Pinkerton out, and while Miss Todd is reluctant to see him when she hears that he is only a beggar, Laetitia convinces her--”But he’s so
to read the plot for The Old Maid and the Thief and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
Songs
Note: In the libretto, a 14-scene breakdown is included, to be introduced by an announcer. This is, however, only to be used in the radio production, and are omitted for the stage. Below are the scenes with their announcements.
- Scene 1: Is is late afternoon in Miss Todd’s parlor. A visitor is just arriving.
- Scene 2: The next morning Laetitia is busy with her pots and pans when Miss Todd comes into the kitchen.
- Scene 3: Bob’s breakfast is ready and Laetitia proudly carries the heaping tray into the guest room where Bob lies drowsily in bed.
- Scene 4: A few minutes later Miss Todd ventures out of the house, to do some marketing. Down the block whom does she see approaching, but her friend, Miss Pinkerton.
- Scene 5: Miss Todd can’t hurry home quickly enough, for the similarity of Bob’s appearance and the description Miss Pinkerton gave of the escaped criminal has given her plenty of cause for alarm. Into the front door she flies and into the parlor where Laetitia is dusting.
- Scene 6: The days pass by. Bob remains a guest in Miss Todd’s house. A week later we find Laetitia in the kitchen taking pains mending and then pressing a pair of well-worn trousers, Bob’s, of course!
- Scene 7: A little later in the day Miss Todd is sitting on her front porch when Miss Pinkerton rushes up the steps in breathless excitement.
- Scene 8 and 9: A few days go by. Miss Todd is sitting in her parlor. Laetitia is in the kitchen getting ready to go upstairs with the customary morning tray, so that Bob can have his breakfast in bed as usual. Meanwhile Bob, up in his room, prompted by a desire to take to the road again is secretly making a bundle of his clothes.
- Scene 10: Two o’clock in the morning. The village is sleeping quietly. In front of the liquor store all is deserted, but down the block two stealthy figures are approaching.
- Scene 11: The next morning Miss Todd is in her parlor when the door burst open.
- Scene 12 and 13: Hurry, Miss Todd! Hurry, Laetitia! There is no time to lose! Out of the parlor, up the stairs to Bob’s room. But they find the door closed.
- Scene 14: A few minutes later Miss Todd returns to her house...and this, ladies and gentlemen, is the final scene.
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Videos
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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