# The funniest comic opera



## HumphreyAppleby (Apr 11, 2013)

Which comic opera makes you laugh the hardest? For me it is Rossini's _Le comte ory_.


----------



## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Le Grand Macabre - because it's so rude


----------



## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

It all depends on the performers, in my experience (and to a lesser extent, the production and director). People who are funny make things funny. People who aren't, can't get a laugh with the best line in the world.


----------



## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Of the relatively few comic operas (comparatively speaking) that I've listened to, the funniest for me is Il Barbiere di Seviglia. Not only the situations are funny but the music itself is dynamically comic throughout, either satirical (Basilio and Bartolo) or farcical in the many plot "complications".


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I've always thought _L'Italiana in Algeri_ is hilarious. I even think the overture is funny.


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Revenant said:


> Of the relatively few comic operas (comparatively speaking) that I've listened to, the funniest for me is Il Barbiere di Seviglia. Not only the situations are funny but the music itself is dynamically comic throughout, either satirical (Basilio and Bartolo) or farcical in the many plot "complications".


Having just rewatched it after many years I heartily concur.

Other operas that make me laugh are La fille du Regiment, Albert Herring, Serse, Cavalli's Elena and Il Giasone, Purcell's the Fairy queen, and the comic bits of L'incoronazione di Poppea,


----------



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

This one...

The Met wants to attract a younger audience. Well, here you go. Someone, get Bryn Terfel on the line.


----------



## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

They are not funny at all, not by themselves. Most of the classics represent sort of "historical", very schematic humour. It depends entirely on the performers if I will laugh at _Barbiere_ or just enjoy the music without even smiling on the stage events.


----------



## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

another funny one is Offenbach's La belle Helene.


----------



## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

English National Opera is particularly adept at comic opera and their perennial production of *The Mikado* is always a good show. (G&S operettas are amazingly durable in their humour). And ENO certainly had the funniest *Falstaff* of the many I've seen.

Another vote from me for *L'Italiana in Algeri*. At the opera you know you're in for a fun evening. It's bright and breezy and the tunes are so sunny and uplifting.


----------



## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Aramis said:


> They are not funny at all, not by themselves. Most of the classics represent sort of "historical", very schematic humour. It depends entirely on the performers if I will laugh at _Barbiere_ or just enjoy the music without even smiling on the stage events.


Yes, exactly how I feel. Something as simple as "Eccolo qua!" in _Dunque Io Son_ can be a literal laugh-out-loud moment or fall completely flat. All depends on the performer(s).


----------



## ericdxx (Jul 7, 2013)

A bad tenor in the lead role in Mozart's di Tito is pretty funny to listen to...


----------



## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

_Der Rosenkavalier_ with a good Ochs gets some chuckles from me. "Papa! Papa! Papa!"

I'm pretty fond of what I think of as Hans Sachs' trolling scene in _Meistersinger_ as well.

Really, bonus points to any librettist who realizes that there are amusing things other than a) mistaken identity and b) a character thinking that another character is not in the room when he is, in fact, in the room.


----------



## DrKilroy (Sep 29, 2012)

Is Mozart's Don Giovanni a comic opera? Because the Leporello guy is certainly quite funny.

Best regards, Dr


----------



## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

^ yes, DG is a comedy and a good one at that. I like it when DG himself is played with a sense of humour, as for Leporello and Zerlina... they're sheer comic characters.



ericdxx said:


> A bad tenor in the lead role in Mozart's di Tito is pretty funny to listen to...


hahaha, yes! I nominate Rainer Trost's rendition of _Se all'impero_ on *this CD*. His coloratura is hilarious. Incidentally, I enjoy that CD a lot and listen to it often - but it's still the gentlest Tito recording I've ever heard.

OT: by and large, hard to go wrong with Rossini. I also often laugh with Le Nozze (not Rossini but still funny).


----------



## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

You can't really be expected to choose only one.
"Cenerentolla ",the Ponelle version, I have the DVD with von Stade and Araiza.
I find Paolo Montarsolo and Claudio Desderi as Don Magnifico and Dandini along with the Ugly Sisters very,very, funny.
I also fancy Frederica von Stade.


----------



## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

speaking of Ponelle and opera comedies, his Cosi with Gruberova and Ziegler is excellent as well.


----------



## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

deggial said:


> speaking of Ponelle and opera comedies, his Cosi with Gruberova and Ziegler is excellent as well.


This brilliant geezer could make even Rigoletto funny at times.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

_Falstaff_ can be toe-curlingly awful, like this one










but the new Robert Carsen production with Ambrogio Maestri was brilliant. I understand it will be revived in 2014/15 at ROH.


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

moody said:


> You can't really be expected to choose only one.
> "Cenerentolla ",the Ponelle version, I have the DVD with von Stade and Araiza.
> I find Paolo Montarsolo and Claudio Desderi as Don Magnifico and Dandini along with the Ugly Sisters very,very, funny.
> I also fancy Frederica von Stade.


Heck, *I* fancy Frederica von Stade and I'm a straight female!


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Ponnelle + Clemenza: very funny. Not sure it's meant to be.


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*The Last Savage and The Nose*

Over the past few years my wife and I have seen really funny operas.

At Santa Fe we saw Menotti's _The Last Savage_. It was a riot. The audience was laughing their heads off. I am amazed that it is not more frequently performed.

A few weeks ago we saw the HD performance of Shostakovitch's _The Nose_. The plot would make Monty Python proud. It was very funny.


----------



## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Another truly zany opera is Prokofiev's "The Love For 3 Oranges ", which is very Monty Pythonesque .
In fact, it's so much like Monty Python, it's amazing . The opera anticipates Monty Python to n amazing degree,
with a ridiculous chorus interrupting the action almost like the big shoe coming down on the TV show .
There's an excellent performnce by one of the regional English opera companies in English on youtube .
This performance featured a clever gimmick with the audience able to comment on the action with 
different smells which they could activate from their seats ! Of course, you couldn't smell anything on
youtube, but it's still great fun .
On e of the characters is a huge female cook in the villain's castle sung by a bass ! "She" weilds a 
huge, deadly spoon .


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

superhorn said:


> Another truly zany opera is Prokofiev's "The Love For 3 Oranges", which is very Monty Pythonesque.
> In fact, it's so much like Monty Python, it's amazing. The opera anticipates Monty Python to an amazing degree, with a ridiculous chorus interrupting the action almost like the big shoe coming down on the TV show.
> There's an excellent performance by one of the regional English opera companies in English on youtube.
> This performance featured a clever gimmick with the audience able to comment on the action with different smells which they could activate from their seats! Of course, you couldn't smell anything on youtube, but it's still great fun.
> One of the characters is a huge female cook in the villain's castle sung by a bass! "She" wields a huge, deadly spoon.


Ha! Love the Python analogy, never thought of it like that before!

Back in March I went to Amsterdam & saw a revival of this Laurent Pelly.










It's a fabulous version with interaction with the audience. At one stage Trouffaldino dances along the front row, ruffles the conductor's hair from behind then has a mimed conversation with the audience.

When the cook started to sing the audience erupted with laughter. I saw it three times & I'm sure the cook got "sexier" as the week went on.


----------



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)




----------



## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

Some very good choices already listed.
I put in high regard Gianni Schicchi for its cynic humor which is based on an universal human characteristic like greed instead of historic settings.

Pergolesi's intermezzi La serva padrona and Livietta e Tracollo are also very funny.

Less known but with which you can have a good laugh there is Nino Rota's Il capello di paglia di Firenze.

Also L'impresario in angustie by Cimarosa, nothing better than self-reference with the world of opera.


Aramis said:


> They are not funny at all, not by themselves. Most of the classics represent sort of "historical", very schematic humour. It depends entirely on the performers if I will laugh at _Barbiere_ or just enjoy the music without even smiling on the stage events.


Of course it depends on signers/actors but that's true for every kind of operas.


----------



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

The Golden Cockerel is a comedy...right? right?

Fast-forward to 1:50 and release the ninja-chicken.


----------



## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

Couac Addict said:


> The Golden Cockerel is a comedy...right? right?
> 
> Fast-forward to 1:50 and release the ninja-chicken.


I think that in order to be funny you have to understand at least part of the words, unless it's a slapstick type comedy...


----------



## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

^ the costumes are beyond this world!


----------



## Lucrezia (Nov 21, 2013)

I had a good laugh at Il Barbiere di Seviglia, which is a pearl, and Le Nozze di Figaro, especially at il Conte in the latter. 
Gianni Schicchi mentioned above is more of a satyrical but ever actual thing.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

moody said:


> "Cenerentolla ",the Ponelle version, I have the DVD with von Stade and Araiza.
> I find Paolo Montarsolo and Claudio Desderi as Don Magnifico and Dandini along with the Ugly Sisters very,very, funny.
> I also fancy Frederica von Stade.


Yes that one is excellent. Dandini makes for most of the best humor in this one.


----------



## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

I just saw Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and that was the most I've laughed at an opera before. But then again, I haven't heard a lot so that is my favorite from a limited sample size.


----------



## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Offenbach' La Vie Parisienne' is a hoot if its well staged.


----------

