Gianni Schicchi (1979)

BUOSO DONATI died this morning. He was an extremely rich landowner-unmarried, uncared-for, a miserly recluse whose estate includes a valuable mule, sawmills at Signa, and the slightly dilapidated but grand villa in Florence. His oldest surviving relative is his cousin:

SIMONE, a wealthy landlord, once the mayor of Fucecchio. He is the stuff of which mayors are made-not as shrewd as he would like to be thought, slightly deaf, and living off his extortionate rents. His son and heir is:

MARCO, an inveterate (and probably secret) gambler. He is moderately well-off only because he works for his father. His wife CIESCA and his father nag him in order to make sure she is kept in the style to which she has become accustomed.

Buoso’s nephew, GHERARDO, who is the husband of NELLA (and the father of one nasty little boy, GHERARDINO), has inherited little and must work hard for his living. They have no time for their wealthy and supercilious relations and see them only on occasions such as births, marriages, and deaths.

BETTO is Buoso’s sister’s son-in-law. He is little better than an incompetent con-man and a thief. His sleazy charm does not appeal to the family, who have no illusions about his character.

ZITA is Buoso’s other cousin, and, as the formidable widow of a prosperous merchant, financially independent of her own family. A shrewd businesswoman, she has calculated exactly what she expects from Buoso’s will.

Her nephew RINUCCIO shares her independent outlook but totally disagrees with her about the suitability of his marriage to Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi’s daughter. He passionately believes that the energy of those (like Schicchi) who came from peasant stock made possible the two glorious periods of Florentine history: the Renaissance and the Risorgimento.

GIANNI SCHICCHI is a man of the country, not a “sophisticated” urbanite like the Donati. His legendary exploits in making and spending money have almost made him respectable among the people whom he despises most, and who despise him most the pretentious middle-class. He thinks nothing is too good for his daughter, LAURETTA, who takes advantage of his doting. She does not realize that her blandishments give her father time to realize the financial potential of the situation.

Colin Graham