Turandot - A 'Cultural' Review

The performance of Puccini's Turandot at the Opera House was so good I thought I'd share it with you all. I'll precis the story in two ways - the first for those of you with some kind of cultural appreciation and the second for those of you who are still scraping their knuckles on the ground (you know who you are).

Cultural

Any prince seeking to marry Princess Turandot must answer three riddles. If he fails, he must die. Calaf is an exiled prince and he rises to the challenge. Princess Turandot asks three questions and Calaf answers all of them correctly. Princess Turandot does not wish to be handed over to Calaf and he says that if she can learn his name by dawn, he will forfeit with his life. Turandot accepts the challenge and decrees that nobody shall shall sleep until she learns the stranger's name. Liu, his father's slave, is the only person who knows his secret but kills herself after she refuses to reveal his identity. After that, Calaf kisses Turandot and she knows emotion for the first time. The court then hails the power of love and life.

Non Cultural

The fat Lezzie sheila doesn't like men much but some fat bloke who looks like Jethro (the Commedian) "cures" her by kissing her and telling her that he is an exiled prince with wads of cash. She is "converted", everyone sings Nessun Dorma and they all live happily ever after, except for the slightly thinner sheila who kills herself for some reason.


Everybody in the Opera House loved it and my hands are still stinging from all the clapping 24 hours later! Think I'll have to see something else when I come back to Sydney later in the Year...

StevieWonder
Cultural Correspondent