New Stage
7 December |
19:00 |
2024 | Saturday |
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Cipollino Ballet in 2 acts |
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Artists |
Credits |
Tenor Orchestra Supervisor of scenery and costumes revival Ballet company
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The performance has 1 intermission Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Libretto by Gennadi Rykhlov in Genrikh Mayorov’s version after the fairy-tale by Gianni Rodari
Choreographer: Genrikh Mayorov Designer: Valery Levental Music Director: Alexander Kopylov
Ballet Master: Anna Mayorova Costumes Revival: Ekaterina Levental Set Revival: Olga Medvedeva Lighting Designer: Sergei Shevchenko SynopsisAct I The square of a fairy-tale town. It only seems that there are baskets for vegetables and boxes for fruit on it. In fact, these are big and small houses where vegetables and fruits live, which are so reminiscent of people... The family of Radishes meets the family of Onions on the square. Mother Cipolla and Father Cipollone pull up the restless Cipollino, who is tired of babysitting his little sister Cipolletta. Here, Master Grape is repairing shoes. Groom Pumpkin is looking for bricks to build himself a house. Professor Pear plays the violin, and all the inhabitants of this fairy-tale town are dancing. Suddenly, Signor Tomato bursts into the square and announces that Prince Lemon himself will soon arrive, who wants to talk to his people. The prince has issued a new law: everyone must pay for the sun shining, the rain, the wind blowing. The people are outraged. In the resulting crush, Cipollino steps on Lemon's foot. The guards are indignant - after all, the prince has been insulted! The "rebel" must be punished. But he disappears, and the guards arrest old Cipollone. It is not only the Onion family that is grieving. Pumpkin is also having a hard time - he cannot build himself a house. And the townspeople, led by Cipollino, help him with this. As soon as the construction is finished, Signor Tomato appears again. He almost bursts with anger when he sees the house: after all, it is built on the land of the Countesses Cherries. No one except them has the right to use it. Prince Lemon's guard destroys Pumpkin's house. The poor old man is in despair. Cipollino decides to take revenge on his offenders.
Act II Cipollino, together with his friend Radish, goes to the palace to find the dungeon where Lemon has imprisoned old Cipollone. On the way, they meet Cherry, who is sad and lonely living in the palace, and a friendship develops between them. Trying to find the prisoner, the friends almost fall into the hands of Signor Tomato, but they manage to escape. While the ball is going on, which the Countesses Cherries give in honor of Prince Lemon, the friends free the old man Cipollone.
Act III The Lemon guards and the police are looking for the fugitives everywhere. Cipollino hides his father, and then Radish, but Cipollino himself is surrounded by guards and thrown into the dungeon. The castle is quiet. Cherry and the beautiful Magnolia are looking for Cipollino. Magnolia puts the guards to sleep with her intoxicating scent, and Cherry, having tied them up, frees Cipollino. Prince Lemon goes down into the dungeon to punish the worthless rebel and sees that the guards are tied up, and the dungeon is empty. The enraged prince orders to fire a cannon at the city. But Cipollino and his friends push Prince Lemon himself into the cannon. The smoke from the shot cleared. There was no Lemon, no cannon, no guards. From now on, everyone in the fairytale city will live peacefully. Under the warm sun and blue sky, a new city will grow. A city of friends!
Synopsis
Act I There is a square of a fairy-tale town. Standing in the square are what seem to be baskets of vegetables and boxes of fruit. But appearances can be deceptive, and, in fact, these are big and small houses which are lived in by vegetables and fruit who are extraordinarily reminiscent of real people.
The Radish and Onion families meet in the square. Mother Cipolla and Father Cipollone are ticking off their irrepressible son, Cipollino, who is fed up with having to look after his sister, Cipolette. Nearby cobbler Grape is mending shoes. Grandfather Pumpkin is searching for bricks so he can build himself a house. Professor Pear is playing the violin, and all the inhabitants of this fairy-tale town are dancing. Suddenly, Signor Tomato rushes into the square and announces that very soon Prince Lemon himself, who wishes to address his people, is due to arrive in the square. The Prince has issued a new law; everyone must now pay for their share of the sunshine, the rain, and the wind.
The Prince’s subjects are indignant. In the general crush, Cipollino accidentally steps on Prince Lemon’s foot. The Prince’s bodyguards take umbrage. His Royal Highness has been insulted! The ‘rebel’ must be punished. But he has disappeared, so the police arrest old Cipollone.
It is not only the Onion family who is grieving. Grandfather Pumpkin is having a tough time because he will never succeed in building himself a house on his own. So the inhabitants of the town, led by Cipollino, give him a helping hand. No sooner is the building work completed, than Signor Tomato appears once again. He almost bursts with anger when he sees the house. It has been built on the land belonging to the Countesses Cherry. Only the Countesses Cherry may make use of this land. Prince Lemon’s bodyguard pull down Grandfather Pumpkin’s house. The poor old man is in despair. Cipollino decides to take revenge on his enemies.
Act II Cipollino, together with his friend, Little Radish, go to the palace in order to look for the dungeon in which old Cipollone has been incarcerated by Prince Lemon. On the way they meet Count Cherry who finds life in the palace very dismal and lonely, and they become friends. During their search for Cipollone, the friends fall into the hands of Signor Tomato, but they manage to escape his clutches and, during a ball given by the Countesses Cherry in honor of Prince Lemon, set free old Chipollone.
Act III Prince Lemon’s bodyguards and the police are searching everywhere for the runaways. Cipollino manages to hide his father, and then Little Radish, but he himself is taken prisoner by the guards and thrown into the dungeon.
All is quiet in the palace. Count Cherry and the beautiful Magnolia are seeking for Cipollino. Magnolia sends the guards to sleep with her heady perfume, meanwhile. Count Cherry ties them up and sets Cipollino free.
Prince Lemon descends to the dungeon in order to punish the good-for-nothing rebel but he finds that his guards have been tied up and that the dungeon is empty. The Prince is furious and orders that the town be bombarded with cannon fire. But Cipollino and his friends stuff Prince Lemon himself into the cannon. Once the smoke from the shot has evaporated, neither Prince Lemon nor the cannon, nor the bodyguards are anywhere to be seen.
From now on, for ever and ever, everyone in the fairy-tale town will live together peacefully. And under the blue sky and bathed in sunshine, a new town will grow up. A town of friends!
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Main Stage
1 Teatralnaya ploschad (1 Theatre Square), Moscow, Russia
New Stage
Bol'shaya Dmitrovka Street, 4/2, Moscow, Russia
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