[PW] Any such creature?

[Dennis Lien]

At 06:02 PM 4/2/2007, you wrote:
>Wow, Dennis, this will be great for my friend.  I will sort them all out 
>and then forward them on.
>
>If you and or anyone else can think of these imaginary characters, just 
>pass them on.
>
>:-)
>Donna

Hmmm...

Napoleon in TOSCA?

The man in Paris who originally gave the secret of the winning card 
combinations
to the Countess in THE QUEEN OF SPADES?

What about the Queen in THREEPENNY OPERA?  Her messenger pardons McHeath and
her coronation day is important to the opera, but I don't recall seeing a
production in which she is shown on stage.

I'm sure there are a number of operas in which God (or Jupiter or Zeus or
whatever) is extensively spoken about, without said deity appearing on stage.
SAMSON AND DELILAH comes to mind.

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http://www.meyerbeer.com/halebio.htm

Musically, <Halevy's> L'éclair is somewhat atypical of conventional opéras 
comiques. Probably the
main reasons for this are that there are only four roles, two sopranos and 
two tenors <snip>
The uncle who cures Lionel's blindness (a perfect excuse for a bass role) 
does not appear on stage.

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Princess Di in a 2000 opera, A LADY DIES :

Song and dance over new opera which claims paparazzi killed Di ...
The opera, based on Gerhard Falkner's libretto and set to music by Stefan 
Hippe ... Diana does not appear on stage. She is presented almost as an 
invention, ...

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Dennis Lien / U of Minnesota Libraries // d-lien at umn.edu