‘The Bald Soprano is a parody of the theatre and thus, of course, a parody of certain human attitudes.

A married couple are sitting cosily in front of the fireplace. We learn that they live near London and are called Smith. Later, they are joined by the Martins, who are surprised to discover that they are husband and wife. The fire chief and the maid Mary also already know each other, and the bald prima donna – she always styles her hair the same way! Eugène Ionesco’s first play The Bald Soprano from 1950 inaugurated the ‘Theatre of the Absurd’. With its assemblage of domestic scenes featuring meaningless banter, situational comedy, pseudo-clichés and non-sequiturs, Ionesco created a witty “anti-play” full of dazzling linguistic acrobatics. In collaboration with the playwright, Italian composer Luciano Chailly (1920-2002) wrote the libretto for the opera of the same name. His score captures the character of the protagonists and their relationships by means of a quintet of plucked instruments – featherlight, vain and dance-like – as well as serene string quintet and a rather coarse wind quintet. Semper Zwei now presents the German premiere of this opera rarity, which was first performed in Vienna in 1986.

The Bald Soprano

Semper Zwei

What would a child’s room say if it could talk? A boy goes on the rampage because he doesn’t want to do his homework; his mother, of course, blows her top. When the child vandalises his room and even torments his beloved cat, things take a surprising turn: suddenly, the mistreated furniture, cups, books and animals start to speak! And the child finds himself in a world in which he is forced to think about others.

Dominika Skrabalová

Events

Past events

Mar 24 - Apr 1, 2026

The Bald Soprano · Semperoper Dresden

Mar 15 - Apr 26, 2026

Das Kind und der Zauberspuk / L’enfant et les sortilèges · Semperoper Dresden

Future and recently performed repertoire

A Shepherd Boy · The Cat · The Squirrel in L'enfant et les sortilèges by Ravel

Semperoper Dresden

Mrs. Smith in The Bald Soprano by Chailly

Semperoper Dresden

About

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