"So you must prepare yourselves to witness the passions of real men and women!"
Tonio's Prologue is the veritable manifesto of the verismo movement. The quintessential opera of that genre, The Clowns is all the more poignant and shocking in English.
"Play your part, while you’re writhing in torment! You won’t know what you’re doing, or what you’re saying. It must be done! Force yourself! Well, are you not a man? No, just a clown!
Put on your costume, and whiten your face. The people pay you and must be entertained! And when Arlecchino steals your Colombina, laugh and play the fool, and they will all applaud! Just make a joke of your tears and anguish. Conceal your grief and your sobs with a grin. For you are Pagliaccio! Though your life has been shattered, laugh through the pain that is stabbing your heart!"
Copyright Kenneth Jakobs 2003-2004 All rights reserved
