Marital Secrets is a double-bill with two rarely-performed operas which explore the habit of keeping things from the one you love to keep the peace – and the absurd consequences when the truth comes to light.
In the tragicomic On the Harmfulness of Tobacco (originally a monologue by Anton Chekhov), a lecturer strays from his assigned topic. Instead of explaining the dangers of tobacco, he begins to speak ever more honestly about the frustrations he has with his marriage, letting slip the small compromises we all make to preserve our independence.
In the comedy Il segreto di Susanna (Susanna’s Secret), the same husband smells tobacco upon arriving home. Does his wife have a new lover who smokes? The couple is drawn into a playful dance, where they journey from isolation to reconciliation.
