Published April 27, 2010
Major Characters
Giacomo Casanova
-Notorious playboy
Lorenzo Da Ponte
-Opera librettist and playwright
Enzo
-Casanova’s servant
Giacomo Casanova [referred to as “Casanova*” in the script]
-Giacomo Casanova, in his younger state
Anna
-A noble lady
Don Arriargo
-Her father
Don Ottavio
-Anna’s fiancée
Elvira
-An opera singer. Disguised as a “castrato” [see Historical Notes]
Zita
-A peasant
Achilla
-her boyfriend
Other Minor Characters may appear as the script demands
Historical Notes-
-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was commissioned to write a new opera for a theater in Prague in 1785. He requested to his librettist [a person who writes the text of an opera], Lorenzo Da Ponte, to write an opera based on the story of Don Juan, the legendary lover and womanizer. The result was the famous opera Don Giovanni.
- It just so happened that Da Ponte knew another legendary womanizer, this time he was real instead of a fictional character and his name was Giacomo Casanova.
-Castrati were male singers who were castrated as young boys to prevent their voices from changing, as a result, they sang very high and demonstrated extraordinary lung power and technique. This comes into play in the drama.
-The story of Da Ponte taking incidents from Casanova’s life and creating an opera from it is entirely fictional.
Scene One
The stage is black. The opening of the overture to Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni plays, but stops near the end of the slow section and the beginning of the fast section, which will be played later. One side of the stage is set with a table, some chairs, and a coat hanger. There is nothing else on the stage at this point. The backdrop is a simple black curtain. The lights come up to reveal DA PONTE and CASANOVA
CASANOVA
So you can’t come up with an idea?
DA PONTE
No.
CASANOVA
You’ve wrote libretti for a thousand other operas, why is this one any different?
DA PONTE
Do you know what that Mozart wants me to set?
CASANOVA
No idea.
DA PONTE
He wants me to make on opera of Don Juan
CASANOVA
[chuckles] I could help you there, my friend!
DA PONTE
I’m sure you could. You’re life is like an opera as it is.
CASANOVA
was
DA PONTE
Was?
CASANOVA
[laughing] Living in Vienna is so dreary, my friend. I haven’t gone to bed in a month.
DA PONTE
A whole month?
CASANOVA
But I will, my friend, I will. And when I do, it will be with someone very special.
DA PONTE
Who?
CASANOVA
Who else? La prima donna!
DA PONTE
Saporiti?
CASANOVA
Oh, yes.
DA PONTE
A happy coincidence. She’s the one Mozart’s supposed to be writing a role for in the opera.
CASANOVA
Which one?
DA PONTE
The one he’s asked me to write the libretto for.
CASANOVA
[laughing] Perfect, Lorenzo, perfect!
DA PONTE
But where will I come up with an idea for a story?
CASANOVA
I know someone who will help you out.
DA PONTE
Who?
CASANOVA
You’re looking at him!
DA PONTE
[laughing] Only you, old boy, only you. But what is your idea?
CASANOVA
Something that happened to me.
DA PONTE
When?
CASANOVA
A year ago.
DA PONTE
Tell me!
CASANOVA
It’s a long story.
DA PONTE
I like long stories.
CASANOVA
I do too, Lorenzo, I do too.
Blackout.
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139,521 Literary Works • 672,595 Reviews
This is a longer work. I AM going to tell the story!
Yay! A historical play! That's what Shakespeare wrote for the most part, you know?
Anyway, as far as this play goes, I think I want more. Your story is mostly someone telling someone else that he has a story to tell. A good lead in... but I want more! Actually tell the story. Don't black out. It'll be better, honest.
I also like the way this was written. If you could act it out with a couple of friends, you'll find any holes in the dialogue.
That said, I would have liked to have seen some more stage direction. You dress the stage at the beginning, but I don't see the characters interact with them at all. I just them standing in front of everyone, talking. So, while it is well written, it seems like it is missing a lot.
It's like a house, freshly painted and cleaned, but with no furnishings.
I love the fact that you've decided to set this in the past, and what is particularly admirable is that you have a definite period and part of society to concentrate on. Lots of people just make it vaguely old-fashioned and call it historical fiction. You obviously know your subject, and it's good that you're writing about something you care about (you should never do anything else).
A couple of things I'd improve on:
'Wrote' should be 'written' - I wrote, I have written. Also, while your dialogue is well-punctuated (much easier to read), correctly formatted (thank you!) and naturalistic (*clap clap*) you also need to consider the rhythm and flow of it. You have a lot of very short lines in there; while this works in moderation, I would add in some longer ones there, just for variation. On the same note, while it's good to be realistic with your dialogue, you could add in some imagery/wordplay there, just to make sure it's interesting as well (not that it isn't, but you know what I mean). As long as it feels appropriate - nothing's worse than adding in something like that just for the sake of having it.
Overall, I really like this, particularly the way you've written realistically without using hugely modern or informal language. Well done, and keep writing!