Grasp the farming script in the famous book

In just one hour, the entire Royal Opera Company seemed to have gone through a roller coaster of dramatic changes.

At 11:30, they were still waiting for a debt guarantee letter-the debt of the troupe had been fully paid off in a blink of an eye;

The opera troupe ushered in a new owner. This owner is young, beautiful, but self-confident and domineering. People instinctively doubt whether she has the ability to run the troupe well.

The new owner played another card backhand-Mrs. Dupre.

Mrs. Dupre was a well-known soprano before Miss Donna. She had served as the principal soprano of several troupes. If it weren't for her age, Miss Donna might not have the level to replace her.

At present, there are several people in the troupe who have worked with Mrs. Dupre, and at this time they all rushed forward to say hello and reminisce about the old days.

The manager of the troupe reached out to wipe his sweat, and at the same time let out a long sigh of relief: "Mrs. Dupre is willing to join the troupe, which is great."

Miss Donna, the current chief soprano of the troupe, froze in place, unable to make a sound.

She deeply doubts - her status is about to be lost.

With Mrs. Dupre, even without her Donna, the troupe can maintain a high standard of performance;

Not only that, the young and energetic Miss Porpoola in the troupe had just called Mrs. Dupree "teacher"—by the way, Porpoola seemed to be a classmate of the new owner.

The new owner's entry into the theater troupe not only brings experienced elders to support the scene, but also will definitely appoint people she trusts in the future.

Donna's face turned pale immediately, and she stood aside blankly, unable to move.

She knew in her heart that her career was in jeopardy.

The love affair with the Marquis of Anjou has indeed affected her state, and she has not been able to return to her peak singing level for the time being.

In addition, there is another layer of worry. The plot of the Marquis of Anjou has been thwarted today, and there is no guarantee that he will not think of other ways to make trouble in the future.

But now that she was watching herself being replaced by someone, Donna's stubborn personality suddenly gained the upper hand.She stepped forward quickly: "Miss Eugenie, my boss..."

"We shall play tonight!"

"We want to tell the whole of Paris: Our troupe has withstood the blow, and we can perform better than before."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone turned their eyes to her in unison.

Although Donna spoke with passion, she had experienced severe emotional ups and downs after all, and now her complexion was ugly and her voice was hoarse and deep.Everyone in the troupe suddenly didn't dare to answer, and everyone seemed to no longer trust their chief soprano.

At this moment Roland spoke up, and she asked, "What's on tonight's play?"

"Don Juan," replied the theater manager.

"Ignoring the candidate for the chief soprano for the time being, can you perform this play tonight?"

People looked at each other: the candidate for the chief soprano was not considered... The new owner seemed to be dissatisfied with the state of the "pillar" Miss Donna.

Fortunately, "Don Juan" is a bit special. There are three sopranos in the play-for a comic opera with two acts, each soprano's role is not too important.

The manager thought about it for a while, nodded and said, "I can act—"

"very good."

Roland clapped his hands together.

"Everyone, there are still seven or eight hours before the evening performance."

"I want each and every one of you to spring into action."

"Manager, put up the big poster for tonight's performance, and send a notice to all the box owners of the Grand Opera House, informing them that we will perform as usual tonight."

"Stage manager, I will give you a budget of [-] francs. You find a way to decorate the Grand Opera House as quickly as possible, using flowers, silk, and satin as much as possible... Don't save me money, how luxurious it is... "

Roland ordered, and the theater troupe agreed.

For a moment, everyone was secretly delighted: the new owner seemed to be rich and powerful, and he did not hesitate to spend money.

"As for the performance, you all follow Mrs. Dupre's arrangements."

Roland entrusted all the preparations for the performance to his teacher, and believed that with her experience, she would be able to arrange a lot of tedious matters such as casting, simple rehearsal, makeup, and costume changes.

"I want you to tell all of Paris, as Miss Donna said—"

"The Royal Opera Troupe has more than one Miss Donna..."

Although Roland's words were somewhat ambiguous, most members of the troupe understood it as: the overall strength of the Royal Opera Troupe is strong, and the turmoil caused by Miss Donna alone cannot affect everyone.

But Donna's own understanding is naturally different from other people's.

This concern was heightened when she learned that Miss Porpora had been selected for the evening's lineup:

After an audition, Miss Porpora was chosen by Madame Dupre to play a peasant girl in the play.

This result confirmed the guesses of many people - the new owner will naturally be nepotism and promote the newcomers she trusts.

The prima donna was full of apprehension, and she began to worry that she would not be able to play in the evening's performance, unable to prove to all Paris that she could sing.

Therefore, even though everyone persuaded Donna to go to the rest room to rest, sleep, stop talking, and maintain her voice.

But where would Donna sleep?

She greeted Mrs. Dupre, trying to find out what she meant.

Mrs. Dupre said: The lineup for tonight's performance will be determined by the new owner, and her opinion can only be used as a reference.

When Donna heard it, she almost couldn't catch her breath, and almost fainted again.

——The blows of fate are really one after another.

"I advise you to take a good rest and recover as soon as possible,"

Madame Dupre said coldly, "I believe Mademoiselle Eugenie will make a wise choice."

Donna had no choice but to wait on the sidelines, hoping to find an opportunity to talk to her new owner in person.

She heard Madame Dupree fetch the theater manager and tell him to go to the Home Office to get Miss de Amely a license to play the piano.

"This Miss Louise de Amelie was a former classmate of Mademoiselle Eugenie and her piano teacher-her playing skills are quite excellent."

"This is a recommendation letter written by me and two other pianists for her. You can take it with you when you go to apply for a license."

"The troupe still lacks a capable pianist, doesn't it?"

"By the way, the owner has allocated a budget of [-] francs for the theater troupe to purchase the best grand piano in Paris. But there is no rush, and it can be done within this week..."

——Isn’t this really cronyism?How can a young girl with no achievements have the qualifications to join an opera troupe of this scale?

Miss Donna listened from the side, and the anger in her heart rushed up again.

However, the manager of the troupe responded with a smile on his face, and he was still saying something like "our troupe really needs a talented pianist", "the conductor and the orchestra will be happy", and so on.

Donna once again felt the sense of despair that the Earl of Anjou felt when he was standing opposite.

This world is uncontrollable, only she is still struggling like a trapped animal.

She didn't dare to listen any more, and walked quickly back to her lounge.

Her lounge was bare, and there was not a single bouquet of "admirers flowers" that had never been interrupted before.

Donna clasped her hands, fingers crossed, and twisted tightly.She buried her head deeply in her arms, letting her emotions out silently, then raised her head and looked at the vanity mirror in front of her.

How fresh and beautiful the person in the makeup mirror used to be—but now, there is only a haggard beauty in front of her, with dark eye circles, downward corners of her mouth, and deep nasolabial folds.

She withered as quickly as a flower disappearing from the lounge.

No, no—there is also a beautiful flower in this mirror.

Miss Donna saw the "new owner" of the troupe walking towards her slowly, she didn't even know that the other party had no idea when the other party entered the waiting room.

"Miss Donna."

Roland greeted the chief soprano with a smile.

She put down an oil stove in the soprano's lounge.

The oil stove was already on, but after Roland put it down, he placed a small copper teapot on it.

Donna: ...

Is this still the Principal Sopranos lounge?

Roland raised his head and smiled at Donna: "Why, I'm not welcome?"

The prima donna has always been an arrogant person, and her success in recent years has directly contributed to her arrogance.At this moment, she felt that the girl who broke into her lounge was ten times more arrogant than herself—as if this lounge was the other party's territory...

No, this lounge can indeed be regarded as the opponent's territory.

Donna had no choice but to bow her head.

"I dare not fail to welcome you, Mademoiselle Eugenie."

Roland suddenly laughed happily: "I like the way you speak! In the entire troupe, you are one of the few people who speak the truth in front of my face."

"Have you ever sung Don Juan?"

Roland changed the question.

"certainly--"

The arrogance of the chief soprano was uncontrollably revealed.

"Which character are you singing?"

Donna was suddenly angry—is there even a need to ask?

"Don Juan" is the late work of a generation of composer genius Mozart. It tells the story of a playboy who seeks women everywhere, deceives countless women, and is finally dragged into hell by ghosts.

Donna participated in "Don Juan" several times, and each time she played the role of a lady named Elvira in the play. She was once cheated into marriage by Don Juan. memorable.

The reason why Donna played Elvira was because the playwright gave this character a lot of skillful arias—in a troupe, the chief soprano was destined to play this role.

"Elvira!"

Donna answered angrily.

She thought the question was harmless and highly insulting.

"Elvira?"

Roland asked with a smile: "Miss Donna, do you think she looks like you?"

Donna held back immediately.

Elvira... is a woman who always has fantasies about the playboy Don Juan.On the one hand, she hopes that this brazen man will be punished and go to hell early, on the other hand, she persuades Don Juan to change his mind for her and marry her.

That's what great playwrights describe women as: beautiful and indecisive.

The new owner knew the opera all too well.

Get to know each character and understand their psychology.

If Donna is like the characters in this play... Donna suddenly felt a bucket of cold water poured on her head.

Before the serious crisis of the opera troupe, didn't she also have a little selfish hope that the Marquis of Anjou could divorce his original wife and marry her instead?

Thinking back now, Donna herself felt that she was too stupid.

"Miss Eugenie..."

"I see what you mean—"

"But you should also understand that leaving the Marquis and staying in the troupe is my own choice—"

Donna expressed it to Roland with difficulty.

"After this incident, I no longer have any illusions about men like the Marquis. I plan to live my life well by my own ability, and I will never count on those men again."

Roland nodded, indicating that this was an answer she wanted to hear.

"Men also have loyal and reliable ones, and it doesn't take a single blow to overturn a whole boat."

"But I really want to persuade you to turn your mind from love to career at this stage."

"When you have accumulated a certain amount, or like me, have mastered a certain amount of wealth, then you will be able to advance and retreat, and you will be able to control your own destiny."

Donna listened silently, and finally nodded when she heard the last word.

"I've had people spread the word about tonight's show."

"But according to the feedback received now, the attendance rate is at most only [-]%."

Roland declared the truth solemnly.

Donna's complexion also changed.

As the chief soprano, she has been in the troupe for so many years, and she has never experienced the "dismal" attendance rate of only [-]%.

"The Marquis will definitely slander the performance of the troupe. He will spread the word that although the troupe has survived the crisis, the performance standard will seriously decline."

"Do you have the courage to face nearly half of the empty seats and boxes?"

"Can you make your singing withstand the harsh evaluation of those music critics?"

"If tonight's performance does not meet expectations, will you be devastated, or will you trust all the companions in the troupe and fight again tomorrow?"

Roland asked like a cannonball.

Donna was terrified.

But as she listened, a strange light suddenly appeared in her eyes.

She looked at Roland with an incredulous look, and asked cautiously:

"Boss...Miss Eugenie, are you...allowing me to participate in the performance tonight?"

Roland spread his hands and said:

"Otherwise what else?"

"Although I can sing the role of Elvira myself, the Ministry of the Interior didn't give me a license to sing on stage!"

Donna: ...

"You still want me to sing Elvira?"

Roland nodded.

"I believe that at this time, you will cherish the 'stage' even more."

These words touched my heart, and tears welled up in Donna's eyes: "Yes..."

"So, go ahead and sing, go sing about your love, sing about your resentment, sing about the ups and downs you've been through during this time."

"Although I don't want you to be as entangled as Elvira, I still want to say that this role belongs to you—"

Immediately, the entire troupe heard a cry of surprise and joy from Miss Donna's lounge.

"Also, this is the throat-protecting tea I brought."

"Formulated with a variety of herbs, herbs and fruits from the plains of Montléry, it is perfect for singers to drink to protect their throats."

"Your mood has fluctuated too much recently, and you urgently need to maintain your voice."

"Try first to see if it suits your taste, and if you like it, I'll give you the recipe."

Roland lifted the small teapot that was standing on the oil stove, and the tea in it had been boiled to a suitable temperature, ready for the soprano to drink directly.

That night, the Grand Opera House ushered in its first performance after "changing ownership".

As Roland expected, there was only about 50.00% occupancy in the theater, and half of the seats were empty.

But most of the people in the troupe faced it calmly.

First, because Mrs. Dupre had warned in advance that such a situation might arise;

Secondly, the troupe's urgent need has been solved, and everyone feels very relaxed.

The performance of "Don Juan" was neither slow nor fast, and the heat was just right.

A newspaper commentator hid in his back seat and scribbled these words in his notebook:

"The Royal Opera Company has surprisingly remained open after financial difficulties..."

"...the dismal attendance did not seem to affect their performances. On the contrary, the theater welcomed the guests with a new look. Everywhere was decorated with seasonal flowers, silks and ribbons... This situation has reason to believe that the troupe has passed away safely. Got through the crisis and got a lot of money invested."

"The play is Don Juan, and the tenor who plays Don Juan is perfect, just like a Spanish playboy."

"Due to the selection of the repertoire, many female singers can make their mark on the stage today."

"Miss Polpora, who plays the peasant girl Cherina, is quite young, but it can be seen that she has solid skills, and her voice is light, flexible, smooth and lyrical."

"She's a very good comedic soprano or mezzo-soprano."

"As for Miss Donna Bello, she played the role of Elvira without any accident."

"There were previous rumors that Donna intended to give up her singing career because of a change of heart—now it seems completely nonsense."

"Donna's voice is still moving, even clearer."

"Her expressiveness is just as good, her lyrical arias, how sad where they are sad, and how angry where they are angry..."

"Oh, oh—listen to this aria," the commentator almost dropped his pen, and sang along with "Elvira" on the stage, even with tears in his eyes, "how wonderful Sing!"

Roland was sitting in a box at the Opera House with her mother, Mrs. Tanglars.

At the beginning, Mrs. Tanglar complained about her daughter, why she had to come to support the opera troupe that was on the verge of bankruptcy, but in the second act, she could hear it completely.

Roland sat in the front row of the box, examining the performance of the entire troupe with the most critical eyes.

She was very satisfied in her heart—the entire troupe performed almost impeccably. As long as it took time, the troupe would definitely be able to return to its previous peak state and reproduce the grand occasion that everyone sought after.

As for the chief soprano Donna, under her continuous operation of "slap a carrot" and "slap a carrot again" today, she has almost stimulated her full potential.

Several times, Roland felt that Donna's voice penetrated directly into her heart.

Perhaps this is the secret of the famous opera masters moving people's hearts——

Sing your mourning, sing your wrath;

The audience can naturally feel——

After the two-act opera was performed, Roland wanted to repeat the old trick and slipped backstage to give her troupe some praise and encouragement.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Tanglar stopped her:

"Eugenie, don't rush away, there is an important person who wants to see you today."

"An important person?" Roland snorted and asked, "Which prince is it?"

Madame Tanglar nodded and said, "It's almost—"

"The person who wants to see you is His Excellency Viscount Andrea Cavalcanti."