Scarpia himself is a fictional creation, but you’ll hear the characters talking about Napoleon, the Queen of Naples, and the Battle of Marengo.
Scarpia (Greer Grimsley) sings his Act 2 credo
More so than most operas, Tosca requires carefully designed, realistic scenery to reflect the authenticity and detail of the stage action.Īct One: The church of Sant’Andrea della Valle (Bill Mohn, photo) The action of the opera takes place over the course of a few hours, in three actual locations (you can still go visit them and see if the scenic designer did his research) near each other in Rome not far from the Vatican. The personal and political conflict between Mario and Scarpia will quickly destroy all three of them. Meanwhile, the leering eyes of Scarpia, the vicious police chief currently in command of the imperial city, have fallen upon Tosca as well. Every so often, the two of them enjoy a weekend together in Cavaradossi’s villa on the outskirts of Rome. Mario Cavaradossi, the great painter, has been romancing the great singer Floria Tosca. The Shepherd likes to take his sheep out to graze along the Tiber and sing sad songs in the very early morning. The Jailer works at the Castel Sant’Angelo. The Sacristan works in the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. Sciarrone is another of Scarpia’s evil henchmen. Mario Cavaradossi, a painter, loves life, liberty, and Floria Tosca (and maybe a striking blonde as well).īaron Scarpia is a lecherous, power-mad chief of police.Ĭesare Angelotti was once the consul of the short-lived Roman republic now he’s a political prisoner newly escaped from Scarpia’s jail. What will Tosca do?įloria Tosca, a singer, is a devout Catholic, a compassionate, warm-hearted individual, and a passionate, jealous lover. “Sleep with me, or your boyfriend dies!” sings wicked police chief.
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