Featured by regional singers, the audience will travel through this comedy to the North American station NBC of the 40s

The Auditorio de Tenerife has programmed the chamber opera The old maid and the thief which was first premièred in Spain by Opera de Tenerife a year ago. The performances take place in the Chamber Hall on the 21, 22, 28 and 29 of January at 7:30 p.m. The tickets have a single price of 20 Euros and just 5 Euros for audiences under 30 years of age.

This opera, a comedy of errors by Gian Carlo Menotti, was commissioned by the North American station NBC, which debuted it on the airwaves in April 1939 with success that later took it to the stage. This staged chamber opera will transform the Chamber Hall into a radio station from the 1940s to bring back its first broadcast. At the same time, it introduces the public to the world that Menotti wrote about, a world full of moral dilemmas and lots of fun.

Alicia Peraza is in charge of the stage direction and stage design thanks to the tools of radio: live music, sound effects, and the talent of the singers. On the other hand, the pianist Javier Lanis is the musical director of Menotti’s composition. Leo Martínez has designed the costumes for this production by Tenerife Opera and Hugo Carugatti is in charge of the lighting design.

The cast is made up of regional singers from the Canary Islands. The mezzo-soprano Silvia Zorita will be Miss Todd, the baritone Fernando Campero will play Bob, the soprano Candelaria González will play the maid, Laetitia, and the soprano Estefanía Perdomo will play the role of the neighbour, Miss Pinkerton.

The two actors in this opera are Joel Hernández, who will play the radio soundman, and Javier Socorro, who will be the presenter of the evening. Likewise, the stage manager Luis López Tejedor and the pianist Javier Lanis, who will play Menotti's pieces, round up the cast respectively.

This piece, inspired by the opera buffa of the 18th century, takes place in a city where very intimate and powerful desires, gossip, and secrets are hidden under an apparently picturesque and calm veil.

The simple and routine life of a single middle-aged woman (Miss Todd), who shares her days of knitting and gossip with her friend (Miss Pinkerton), is turned upside down when a beggar knocks on her door, the handsome Bob. Miss Todd and her maid Laetitia quickly fall in love with the beggar and take him in under the guise of Steve, Miss Todd's cousin, despite learning that he could be a convict who has escaped from prison, accused of stealing. When their suspicions grow, the plot twists begin.

Opera de Tenerife is an initiative organised by the Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife with the collaboration of the ICDC (Regional Institute of Cultural Development) and the INAEM (National Institute of Performing Arts and Music) 

Tickets can be purchased at a single price of €20 on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium's box office or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. Check the special discounts for the audience under 30 years of age, students, unemployed and large families.