The Gondoliers

or The King of Barataria

    Act I opens in Venice with young maidens declaring their passionate love for gondoliers Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri. When the gondoliers enter, the ladies give them flowers. From among the group of maidens, Giuseppe picks Tessa to be his bride, and Marco picks Gianetta.

    The Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro, their beautiful daughter Casilda, and their drummer boy, Luiz, arrive in Venice. They tell Casilda that when she was six months old, she was married to the infant son and heir of the King of Barataria. Casilda is now the queen of Barataria, and her parents have brought her to be introduced to her husband. Left alone together, Casilda and Luiz, sing of their love for each other, and resign themselves to a life forever apart.

    When the Grand Inquisitor Don Alhambra enters, he explains that the prince was raised by a drunken gondolier, who eventually forgot which boy was his own son and which boy was the prince. He has located Inez, the nurse who raised the infant prince and she will reveal which gondolier is the prince.

     As the two gondoliers and their wives celebrate their wedding,  Don Alhambra arrives and informs them that one of them is the King of Barataria. Gianetta and Tessa are excited about being a queen, but The Grand Inquisitor tells them that ladies are not admitted to Barataria until the actual king is determined   As they depart with the men, Marco and Giuseppe announce their promise to reign in a Republican fashion.

     As Act II begins, we are in Barataria.  Marco and Giuseppe are happy but they miss their wives. Soon,  however, all the ladies arrive, having risked the long sea voyage from Venice. They celebrate their reunion with a magnificent banquet and dance a cachucha. Don Alhambra arrives at the ball and breaks the news that one of the gondoliers married Casilda when a baby.

     The Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro soon arrive with Casilda. They are dressed in style, and the Duke explains they now earn a very good living. After a lesson in etiquette, the two gondoliers are left alone with Casilda. She agrees to be an obedient wife, but confesses she is in love with another. The gondoliers, their wives and Casilda sing about their predicament.

     Don Alhambra brings in the long-awaited Inez, whose revelations resolve the romantic entanglements to everyone's satisfaction.