This past weekend, Feb. 26 through March 1, DePauw Theatre put on the awaited opera, “Gianni Schicchi.” Directed by Mary Martin, the opera is set in Florence, Italy and centers on the death of the wealthy Buoso Donati.

The opera immediately opens with Buoso’s death, which the Donati family grieves with exaggerated sadness. Amid this mourning performance, the Donatis discover that Buoso has left all of his wealth and possessions to the friars, and the family falls into heavy despair. That is when Rinuccio, played by Brendan Ward ‘28, suggests calling on Gianni Schicchi, played by Dorian Dowd ‘27, to help them turn the situation in their favor.

Schicchi promptly decides to take the place of the late Buoso in order to fool the lawyer and rewrite the will despite the risk of getting caught. While the members of the Donati family do end up with their desired assets, Schicci tricks them all and signs the mansion, mule and sawmills under his name.

The one-act opera, light-hearted and full of movement and scheming, is the only comic opera of Giacomo Puccini’s works. The vibrant set and costumes were clearly given much attention, and the liveliness of the actors contributed to the pure drama of the opera. The production had romance, familial tension, bright hope and shocking betrayal, and all the while the complex music and melodies reflected the ups and downs of the story.