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Beatrice & Benedict BEATRICE & BENEDICT Dialogues from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing adapted for Seattle Opera's 2018 Performances of the Berlioz opera In Seattle Opera’s production of Beatrice and Benedict, supertitles will help audiences understand the words of the arias and ensembles. However, we will not project titles during the spoken dialogues; instead, the voices of the singers and actors will be amplified. Read this script to familiarize yourself with Shakespeare’s rich text before you attend a performance! The dialogues have been adapted from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. (Berlioz translated them into French for the original version of Béatrice et Bénédict, but we’ll be performing them in the original English.) In this script, the numbers before arias and ensembles refer to the original order of musical numbers, printed in the score and in most recordings. The English singing translation used for Seattle Opera’s production is by Amanda Holden, with text adapted from Shakespeare for the added musical numbers. CAST (in order of vocal appearance) LEONATO actor MESSENGER actor BEATRICE mezzo soprano HERO soprano DON PEDRO bass BENEDICT tenor DON JOHN actor CLAUDIO baritone BORACHIO actor SOMARONE bass MARGARET actor URSULA contralto FRIAR FRANCIS actor 1 ACT I OVERTURE [Enter LEONATO, a MESSENGER, HERO, BEATRICE, SOMARONE, URSULA, MARGARET, and CITIZENS OF MESSINA.] LEONATO I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Aragon comes this night to Messina. MESSENGER He is very near by this. He was not three leagues off when I left him. LEONATO How many gentlemen have you lost in this action? MESSENGER But few of any sort, and none of name. LEONATO I find here that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honor on a young Florentine called Claudio. MESSENGER He hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion. BEATRICE I pray you, is Signor Mountanto returned from the wars or no? MESSENGER I know none of that name. HERO My cousin means Signor Benedict of Padua. MESSENGER O, he's returned, and as pleasant as ever he was. BEATRICE I pray you, how many hath he killed and eaten in these wars? But how many hath he killed? For indeed I promised to eat all of his killing. LEONATO You must not, sir, mistake my niece; there is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedict and her. They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them. 2 MESSENGER I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books. BEATRICE No; an he were, I would burn my study. But I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young soldier now that will make a voyage with him to the devil? MESSENGER He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio. BEATRICE Claudio? O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease! God help the noble Claudio! If he have caught the Benedict, it will cost him a thousand pound ere 'a be cured. MESSENGER Don Pedro is approached. #1: Chorus The citizens of Messina celebrate the victorious return of Don Pedro's army. [Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, BENEDICT, other SOLDIERS, BORACHIO, and DON JOHN.] DON PEDRO Good Signor Leonato, are you come to meet your trouble? LEONATO Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of your grace. DON PEDRO I think this is your daughter. LEONATO Her mother hath many times told me so. BENEDICT Were you in doubt, sir, that you asked her? LEONATO Signor Benedict, no, for then were you a child. BENEDICT If Signor Leonato be her father, she would not have his head on her shoulders for all Messina, as like him as she is. BEATRICE I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedict; nobody marks you. 3 BENEDICT What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living? #4: Duet Beatrice and Benedict playfully insult each other, and the institution of marriage, to the amusement of the others onstage. Both pray that they be allowed to remain blissfully single. BEATRICE You always end with a jade’s trick; I know you of old. DON PEDRO That is the sum of all, Leonato. [Addresses the company.] Signor Claudio and Signor Benedict, my dear friend Leonato hath invited you all. I tell him we shall stay here at the least a month. LEONATO [to DON JOHN] Let me bid you welcome, my lord, being reconciled to the Prince your brother. I owe you all duty. DON JOHN I thank you. I am not of many words, but I thank you. LEONATO [to DON PEDRO] Please it your grace lead on? DON PEDRO Your hand, Leonato; we will go together. [Exeunt all save HERO.] #3: Aria Hero sings of her love for Claudio, and her desire to wed him. [Enter CLAUDIO and BENEDICT.] CLAUDIO Benedict, didst thou note the daughter of Signor Leonato? BENEDICT I noted her not, but I looked on her. CLAUDIO Is she not a modest young lady? 4 BENEDICT I do not like her. CLAUDIO Thou thinkest I am in sport. I pray thee tell me truly how thou lik'st her. BENEDICT Would you buy her that you inquire after her? CLAUDIO Can the world buy such a jewel? BENEDICT Yea, and a case to put it into. But I hope you have no intent to turn husband — have you? CLAUDIO If Hero would be my wife. BENEDICT Look, Don Pedro is returned to seek you. [Enter DON PEDRO.] DON PEDRO What secret hath held you here that you followed not to Leonato's? BENEDICT He is in love. With who? Mark how short his answer is: with Hero, Leonato's short daughter. CLAUDIO That I love her, I feel. DON PEDRO That she is worthy, I know. BENEDICT That I neither feel how she should be loved nor know how she should be worthy is the opinion that fire cannot melt out of me; I will die in it at the stake. DON PEDRO Thou wast ever an obstinate heretic in the despite of beauty. Benedict, I will see thee married yet. #5: Trio Benedict rails, playfully, against the female gender and the institution of marriage, while Claudio and Don Pedro criticize his bad attitude. [Exit BENEDICT.] 5 CLAUDIO My liege, your highness now may do me good. DON PEDRO If thou dost love fair Hero, cherish it, And I will break with her and with her father, And thou shalt have her. CLAUDIO How sweetly you do minister to love. DON PEDRO I know we shall have revelling tonight; I will assume thy part in some disguise And tell fair Hero I am Claudio; And in her bosom unclasp my heart And take her hearing prisoner with my amorous tale. Then after, to her father will I break, And the conclusion is: she shall be thine. In practice let us put it presently. [Exeunt. Enter DON JOHN and BORACHIO.] BORACHIO My lord! Why are you thus out of measure sad? DON JOHN There is no measure in the occasion that breeds, therefore the sadness is without limit. BORACHIO You should hear reason. DON JOHN And when I have heard it, what blessing brings it? BORACHIO If not a present remedy at least a patient suffering. You have of late stood out against your brother, and he hath ta'en you newly into his grace. DON JOHN I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in my brother's grace. It must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain. Let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me. BORACHIO Can you make no use of your discontent? 6 DON JOHN What news, Borachio? BORACHIO I came yonder from a great supper. The prince your brother is royally entertained by Leonato, and I can give you intelligence of an intended marriage. DON JOHN Will it serve for any model to build mischief on? BORACHIO Marry, it is your brother's right hand. DON JOHN Who, the most exquisite Claudio? BORACHIO Even he. DON JOHN A proper squire! And who, and who? Which way looks he? BORACHIO Marry, on Hero, the daughter and heir of Leonato. DON JOHN How came you to this? BORACHIO I hid behind the arras, and there heard it agreed upon that the prince should woo Hero for himself, and having obtained her, give her to Count Claudio. DON JOHN Come, come, let us thither. That young start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow. If I can cross him any way, I bless myself every way. You will assist me? BORACHIO To the death, my lord. DON JOHN Let us to the great supper. [Exeunt.] [Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, BENEDICT, SOMARONE, URSULA, HERO, BEATRICE, DON JOHN, BORACHIO and OTHERS. Music and dancing, to Berlioz’s Sicilienne.] 7 DON PEDRO [to Hero] Lady, will you walk a bout with your friend? HERO So you walk softly, and look sweetly, and say nothing, I am yours for the walk; and especially when I walk away. DON PEDRO With me in your company? HERO I may say so, when I please. DON PEDRO And when please you to say so? HERO When I like your favor. DON PEDRO Speak low if you speak love. [They move aside; Benedict and Beatrice come forward.] BEATRICE Will you not tell me who told you so? BENEDICT No, you shall pardon me. BEATRICE Well, this was Signor Benedict that said so. BENEDICT What's he? BEATRICE I am sure you know him well enough.
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