Programmi di Sala Coin du Roi Programma Dittico Pergolesi | Page 37

Argument
La serva padrona
In the early morrning, Uberto complains about the negligenge of his servants:
Serpina and Vespone, who are always late. When Serpina finally comes, she
refuses to obey and claims that she should be treated as the mistress of the house,
not as a servant. Uberto flies into a rage, but the arrogance of the woman keeps
rising. The master then menaces to find immediately a wife to settle the house, but
Serpina forbids him from leaving and challenges him: if he wants to marry, he can
marry her.
However, social norms do not allow a master to marry his servant. Thus, the
cunning Serpina studies a plan with Vespone: he will pretend to be a soldier asking
for her hand and for a conspicuous dowry. Uberto is afraid of losing his servant,
which prooves that he loves her, but he is more afraid of the menaces of soldier.
Hence, he accepts to let her go with the dowry. The servant, now turned mistress,
reveals the plot and is forgiven by Uberto. The couple can now marry happily.

Livietta e Tracollo
Livietta wants to trick Tracollo, a clumsy thief that robbed her in the past. She
disguises as a french peasant with her friend Fulvia, pretending to have fallen
aspleep and leaving a golden chain in plain sight. Tracollo, who in turn is disguised
as a polish woman, falls into the trap and is caught red-handed. He then tries to
move Livietta to pity and run away.
In the second part of the Intermezzo, the two meet again after some time.
Tracollo is once again disguised, this time as a crazy astrologist, another trick to
escape from punishment. When he sees Livietta approaching, he plans a revenge,
but the cunning woman immediately recognizes him. The two engage in a duel to
deceive each other. He pretends to be his own ghost, she replies by faking her
own death. Although he suspects that she is docking him, Tracollo cannot help
being moved by the loss and declares his love for Livietta. Every trick is revealed
and the comedy ends up in a marriage.

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