Brundibár

The children's opera Brundibár tells of two fatherless children, Pepícek and Aninka, trying to get some money to buy milk for their sick mother. In the village arrives Brundibár, a braggart organ grinder, who, singing in the squares can earn much money. Pepícek and Aninka try to imitate him   by singing a nursery rhyme, but without success. Sadly, they fall asleep in the street and during the night a sparrow, a cat and a dog decide to help them by asking all the students to form a chorus with a voice louder than that of Brundibár: in this way the children send off the evil organ grinder.

Brundibár
Children's opera in two acts (dětská opera o dvou obrazech)
Music by Hans Krása
Libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister

New production

ACT I

In the street of a village, Pepícek and Aninka are looking for milk: their mother is sick in bed and, in the opinion of the physician, this is the only thing that will help her to heal. Not having money to pay for it, they try to imitate the organ grinder Brundibár to whom the passersby give alms. They sing a song but everyone, disturbed, drives them away. During the night, a sparrow, a cat and a dog come to their rescue and decide to help them defeat the hateful Brundibár.

ACT II

The three animals, after waking Pepícek and Aninka, ask for the cooperation of the children in the neighborhood. As soon as Brundibár begins to operate his organ, they all sing a sweet lullaby and the passersby, moved, throw coins into Pepícek's hat.  The evil Brundibár takes advantage of a moment of distraction to steal their money. All run in pursuit of the villain; having recovered the money, the two children can finally buy milk for their mother.

MARINA BIANCHI

After graduating in Stage Direction at the School of Dramatic Art "Paolo Grassi" in Milan, from 1980 to 1992 she was the assistant director at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan; she works with Liliana Cavani, Eimuntas Nekrošius, Ferzan Ozpetek, Graham Vick, William Friedkin, Luca Ronconi, Roberto De Simone, Giorgio Gallione, Antonio Albanese and is responsible for the reprises of all the productions of Giorgio Strehler. Among the shows that she directed are the Italian premiere ofDas Berliner Requiem by Kurt Weill for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 1996, La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini inaugurating the 2000 season of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto for the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari in the courtyard of Palazzo Svevo in 2001, L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti at the Teatro Regio in Turin in 2010, Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 2011-12 season at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell at the Teatro Ristori for the winter season 2013 of the Arena di Verona