''Le baruffe chiozzotte'' (''Brawling in Chioggia'') is a play by the Italian playwright

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

, first performed at the Teatro San Luca in Venice in January 1762. It deals with the comic struggles between two groups of fishermen in the lagoon-mouth village of

Chioggia Chioggia (; vec, Cióxa , locally ; la, Clodia) is a coastal town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is situated on a small island at the southern entrance to the L ...

brought on by the love affairs of the younger generation. Written in Venetian, the comedy is intensified by the presence of a hapless young Venetian official, who is helpless to enforce order on the sly inhabitants he is supposed to keep under control. In modern times, the play was revived at the

Piccolo Teatro di Milano The Piccolo Teatro di Milano (translation: "Little Theatre of the City of Milan") is a theatre in Milan, Italy. Founded in 1947, it is Italy's first permanent theatre, and a national "teatro stabile", or permanent repertory company, and is conside ...

in 1962, in a production by

Giorgio Strehler Giorgio Strehler (; ; 14 August 1921 – 25 December 1997) was an actor, Italian opera and theatre director. Biography Strehler was born in Barcola, Trieste; His father, Bruno Strehler, was a native of Trieste with family roots in Vienna and died ...

emphasizing the humanity and realism of Goldoni's script over the conventionally farcical elements. In 1966 the production was filmed for Italian television. A

concert overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...

based on the play was composed by Leone Sinigaglia in 1907; it was a favorite of

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

. An operatic version by

Franco Leoni Franco Leoni (24 October 1864 – 8 February 1949) was an Italian opera composer. After training in Milan, he made most of his career in England, composing for Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and West End theatre, West End theatres. He is ...

also exists.Kuhn, Laura (ed)
"Leoni, Franco"
''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', Schirmer Reference, 2001, accessed 18 June 2010 (requires subscription)

Roles

*Master Toni (Antonio), owner of a fishing boat *Madam Pasqua, wife of Master Toni *Lucietta, young girl, sister of Master Toni *Titta-Nane (Giambattista), young fisherman *Beppe (Giuseppe), younger brother of Master Toni *Master Fortunato, fisherman *Madam Libera, wife of Master Fortunato *Orsetta (Orsolina), younger sister of Madam Libera *Checca (Francesca), another younger sister of Madam Libera *Master Vincenzo, fisherman *Toffolo (Cristoforo), boat owner *Isidoro, Adjunct of the Court Chancellor *The Court Bailiff *Canocchia, young man who sells pumpkin *Fishermen on Master Toni's boat *Servant of the Adjunct

Plot

While Toni and his men are still fishing, the women (Pasqua, Lucietta; Libera, Orsetta, and Checca) are sitting outside their houses talking. Toffolo, another boat owner, comes by and flirts with Lucietta (who is actually engaged to Titta-Nane), giving her some roast pumpkin, thereby exciting the jealousy of Checca. The men (Toni, Beppe and Titta-Nane) all get involved after they arrive and a fight starts with Toffolo's group. This is broken up by Vicenzo and his soldiers. The different sets of jealous Chioggia lovers quarrel amongst themselves, and Toffolo complains to the officials. The Adjunct Isidoro is sent to try to sort everything out. Eventually there is a happy ending and peace is restored. Lucietta marries Titta-Nane, Orsetta marries Beppe and Checca is married to Toffolo.

External links

Text in Italian/Venetian, accessed 15 January 2010Conversazioni Goldoniane – Le Baruffe Chiozzotte

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baruffe Chiozzotte Comedy plays Plays by Carlo Goldoni 1762 plays