The Impresario From Smyrna: A Comedy (Timeless Classics) - Softcover

First produced in Venice in 1761, The Impresario from Smyrna is a comedy depicting the vanities of eighteenth century Italian opera singers. Ali, a wealthy merchant from Smyrna, is planning to introduce Italian opera into Turkey and has enlisted the aid of two agents, Count Lasca and Nibio. Ali is attracted to three pretty sopranos, Lucrezia, Tognina and Annina, but their constant bickering over who is to be considered the prima donna and the exorbitant demands of all concerned make him reconsider his plans. He returns to the relative peace of his Smyrna harem, leaving the company a small sum of money, which they decide to spend on launching a theatre. From the performers to the impresario, the play is a funny look at behind-the-scene rivalries, diva fits, casting couches and audition gossip but it is also about the beautiful vulnerability of the romanticized artistic personae and the mythologies that surround stage life."