Opera treated in an irreverent tenor.
Grabbing Operas by Their Tales flippantly retells the plots of fifteen of the best known and well-loved operas. Using irreverent humor, word play, footnotes, and absurdities, each opera plot is described in an entertaining and educational way.
The fifteen operas are:
- Carmen by Bizet
- Faust by Gounod
- Romeo and Juliet by Gounod
- Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck
- Don Giovanni by Mozart
- Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach
- Tosca by Puccini
- Turandot by Puccini
- Cinderella by Rossini
- Samson and Delilah by Saint-Saens
- Il Trovatore by Verdi
- Aida by Verdi
- Otello by Verdi
- Lohengrin by Wagner
- Die Walkure by Wagner.
Grabbing Operas by Their Tales is great reading for music lovers.
Charles E. Lake is unencumbered by musical talent or training and thus he provides a man-on-the-street view of these sacred, but improbable opera plots.
Mike Rooth is a freelance illustrator. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications.