The Potato Tale
An opera for children in 2 acts, sung in Lithuanian
Libretto by Daiva Čepauskaitė
In the first part of the trilogy of operas for children, conceived by composer Antanas Kučinskas and librettist Daiva Čepauskaitė, the kingdoms of mice and potatoes are involved in a “war for food.” The starving Mice attack the prosperous Potato Kingdom and capture the only daughter of King Potato, the feisty Princess Potato. This is witnessed by the young Radish, a naive poet with a tender heart, who falls in love with her. In a desperate battle of mice and potatoes, the Princess is attempted to be rescued by General Beetroot from Ukraine, to whom King Potato has promised her in return for her liberation. But unexpectedly for himself, the hero-liberator appears to be the young Radish. Everyone celebrates the victory.
According to the creators, who invited the audience to the premiere of The Potato Tale at the Klaipėda State Music Theatre in 2007, this playful, witty, dynamic tale metaphorically depicts a social conflict: the potatoes are the apathetic elite, while the mice represent restless masses. But one can also read the conflict between generations, or even the eternal conflict between music and drama. “I think that all this is an apt reflection of today’s situation, so the fairy tale should not only be a fun entertainment, but also a relevant and meaningful stage work for children and their parents,” said the composer, who, together with his creative team, was awarded the Golden Cross of the Stage for the best work in the category of theatre for children.
AWARDS
Golden Cross of the Stage (27 March 2008, Vilnius) to the creative team the best work in the category of theatre for children
