Overview
Synopsis
The Marquis of Nobile, Edmundo, and his wife, Lucía, are having a dinner party after an excellent performance of Lucia di Lammermoor. Naturally, they have invited the leading soprano, Leticia Maynar, as well as the conductor Señor Alberto Roc and his wife, the pianist Blanca Delgardo. Their friends Colonel Álvaro Gómez, and Doctor Carlos Conde will be there, as well as the famous explorer Count Raúl Yebenes. Silvia, Duchess of Àvila, will also attend, accompanied by her brother Francisco, and the soon-to-be-married Beatriz and Eduardo. To make it a round dozen, their friends Señor Russell and Leonora Palma have also been invited. With some absurd entertainment planned, it promises to be a perfect evening.
So successful was the party, that at the end of the evening no one wants to leave. Or rather, every time they try, they simply turn around and stay. Any attempt to go across the threshold turns into a moment of rest on the sofa, or another conversational delay. After sleeping a night in the drawing room, the guests realise that no matter how hard they try, they simply cannot leave.
Days and weeks pass by in this room, with these people. Sickness claims Señor Russell, and madness starts to invade some of the others. With no food, no water, no sanitation, and no way out, desperation leads them to thoughts of murder. But, perhaps there is another key to leaving the room. What if they can retrace their steps and find out where the problem started? Can their lives really be saved by a soprano with a song?
Thomas Adès’s operatic version of Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel is an absurd, gory, and darkly farcical piece, which is rapidly becoming one of the most famous operas of the 21st century.
Show Information
- Music
- Thomas Adès
- Libretto
- Tom Cairns
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- The Exterminating Angel (1962) by Luis Buñuel and Luis Alcoriza
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 2016
- Genres
- Dark Comedy, Horror
- Settings
- Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- Calle de la Providencia, Spain
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Ideal For
- Large Cast, Professional Opera, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Adult, Young Adult, Elderly, Child, Early Teen Characters
Context
Thomas Adès and Tom Cairns’s The Exterminating Angel is based on the 1962 film of the same name, by Luis Buñuel and Luis Alcoriza. It was commissioned by Salzburg Music Festival, the Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Met and the Royal Danish Opera, and premiered at the Haus für Mozart in Salzburg on July 28, 2016. It received an outstanding critical response at the first performance, and in only the first few years of its existence, is rapidly becoming one of the most well-known operas of the
to read the context for The Exterminating Angel and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Prologue
This opera begins before the orchestra tunes. As church bells are heard, a man walks on with his sheep and waits as the audience enters. Over the sound of these bells, the orchestra tunes, the conductor arrives, takes his bow, and takes his place on the podium.
Act One
In the hallway of the Calle de la Providencia mansion, the butler Julio catches one of the footmen, Lucas just as he tries to leave (‘You! Where d’you think you’re going?’). Lucas tells him he’s only going
to read the plot for The Exterminating Angel and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Countertenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass-Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass-Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto |
Songs
Act 1
- Prologue - A man with a flock of lambs
Scene 1
- ‘Ee - You! Where d’you think you’re going?’ - Julio, Lucas
Scene 2
- ‘Camila, what do we do?’ - Meni, Camila, Enrique, Pablo
Scene 3
- ‘Ya ha ha ha ha ha’ - Leticia, Nobile, Colonel, Lucía, Russell, Blanca, Roc, Leonora, Silvia, Raúl, Francisco, Beatriz, Eduardo, Doctor
- ‘They’re here!’ - Meni, Camila
- ‘How strange! Lucas’ - Leticia, Nobile, Colonel, Lucía, Russell, Blanca, Roc, Leonora, Silvia, Raúl, Francisco, Beatriz, Eduardo, Doctor, Meni, Camila
Scene 4
- ‘No, I’ve never tasted it’ - Colonel, Blanca, Lucía, Nobile, Silvia, Beatriz, Leonora, Francisco, Eduardo, Roc, Russell, Doctor
- The Ragoût Aria ‘My friends, you must all forgive me’ - Lucía, Colonel, Blanca, Nobile, Silvia, Beatriz, Leonora, Francisco, Eduardo, Roc, Russell, Doctor
- ‘Here it is!’ - Lucía, Francisco, Enrique, Leticia, Russell, Silvia, Blanca, Nobile, Raúl, Roc
Scene 5
- ‘I’m just in time!’ - Lucía, Julio, Pablo, Enrique, Servants
Scene 6
- ‘What was that?’ - Raúl, Colonel, Blanca, Leticia, Leonora
- ‘What’s your name?’ - Eduardo, Beatriz
- ‘Tonight I feel marvellous’ - Leonora, Doctor
- ‘Francisco!’ - Silvia, Francisco, Doctor, Leonora, Raúl
- ‘Brava Blanca’ - Silvia, Beatriz, Leonora, Francisco, Eduardo, Nobile, Raúl, Colonel, Roc, Doctor, Lucía, Blanca, Julio
Scene 7
- ‘Why is nobody leaving’ - Colonel, Lucía
Scene 8
- ‘That went well, despite…’ - Nobile, Lucía, Silvia, Colonel, Leticia, Russell, Doctor, Francisco, Raúl, Beatriz, Eduardo, Roc, Leticia
- ‘Our first night together’ - Eduardo, Beatriz
Interlude
Act 2
Scene 1
- ‘What the hell is happening?’ - Julio, Nobile, Lucía
- ‘How did you sleep, Leonora?’ - Blanca, Leonora, Silvia, Leticia, Doctor, Russell, Leonora
- ‘Gentlemen, quickly!’ - Colonel, Eduardo, Raúl, Silvia, Leticia, Blanca
- The Spoons Aria ‘Forgive me, Lucía’ - Francisco, Lucía, Julio
- ‘But first, would any of the gentlemen’ - Julio, Colonel, Lucía, Blanca
- ‘The butler’s strange resistance’ - Doctor
Scene 2
- Interlude
- ‘Over the sea’ - Blanca
- ‘There is a seriously ill man in the room!’ - Leticia, Doctor, Colonel, Russell
- ‘We are lost’ - Francisco, Silvia, Julio, Beatriz, Eduardo, Raúl, Leticia, Roc, Colonel, Leonora
- ‘We must remain completely calm’ - Doctor, Beatriz, blanca, Eduardo, Roc, Leticia, Silvia, Francisco, Raúl, Colonel
- ‘Silence! I have an idea’ - Nobile, Raúl, Leticia, Francisco, Russell, Silvia, Lucía, Blanca, Leonora, Nobile, Colonel
- ‘I am happy…’ - Russell, Doctor
- ‘I don’t want to die here’ - Beatriz, Eduardo Witches’ Trio ‘When I lifted the lid’ - Blanca, Silvia, Leticia
- ‘¡Consummatum est!’ - Doctor, Colonel
- ‘This is where the ocean ends’ - Eduardo, Beatriz
Act 3
Scene 1
- ‘What can we do?’ - Chorus, Yoli
Scene 2
- ‘Water! Water!’ - Leticia, Lucía, Silvia, Blanca, Leonora, Francisco, Nobile, Raúl, Colonel, Roc, Julio, Doctor
- Obsessive Compulsive Ballet - Leticia, Lucía, Silvia, Blanca, Leonora, Francisco, Nobile, Raúl, Colonel, Roc, Julio, Doctor
- ‘I can’t stand it anymore’ - Francisco, Silvia, Blanca, Lucía, Raúl, Nobile, Colonel
- Interlude
- ‘I think they watch us from time to time’ - Leonora
- ‘Leonora! My hand!’ - Doctor, Blanca, Raúl, Leticia
Scene 3
- ‘What is today?’ - Beatriz, Eduardo Lullaby ‘Fold your body into mine’ - Beatriz, Eduardo
Scene 4
- ‘Aah! Don’t touch me!’ - Roc, Leticia, Raúl, Doctor, Colonel, Leonora
Scene 5
- ‘Quiet as a tomb’ - Chorus, Lucas, Camila, Meni, Enrique, Pablo, Padre, Yoli,
Scene 6
- ‘Edmundo darling’ - Lucía, Nobile, Raúl, Doctor, Blanca, Francisco, Silvia, Leonora
- ‘It’s very late, Yoli’ - Silvia, Yoli
- ‘Witches incantation’ - Blanca, Leonora, Doctor, Francisco, Silvia, Raúl, Roc, Nobile
- ‘Wait! Don’t move!’ - Leticia
- Leticia’s Song ‘Zion, do you ask of my peace’ - Leticia
- The Exit - Chorus, Tutti
- Solemn High Requiem ‘Libera de morte aeternam’ - Tutti
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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Guide Written By:
Wendy Silvester
Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.