Twynopses

[UPDATE: My submissions decoded here.]

Miss Mussel's Twitter Opera Plot contest is back, this time with an astounding number of opera companies participating as potential prize-givers. Submissions were to be accepted starting at 9am this morning, but I ended up crafting mine late last week. I decided to jump right in and submit all six as a batch right out of the starting gate, even though the contest is open until next Sunday. Perhaps a better strategy would have been to send them in at the last minute, but I'm not a patient person.

So, since the point of doing it this way is to keep me from twittering away my work day, I'll say no more, other than to reprint my submissions here. (NOTE: Two of them are slightly contracted versions of entries from the previous round of the contest, back when I didn't realize the 140-character limit needed to include the 10-character tag, #operaplot.) Of course, you can also view my submissions by my following me on Twitter.

Oh, and the first-ever MMmusing podcast debuts later today! Check back soon...

6 Operas in 130 Characters or Less

Cad kills Commendatore. Conquests cataloged, courts country cutie. Cry creates chaos. Cast Commendatore comeback cues comeuppance.

4 Bohemians: Performer sings for supper. Poet authors romance. Painter brushes with ex. Philosopher thinks coat sale. (Girl dies)

Someone must die. Tenor, denied soprano, steps up. Executioner can't hack it, gives up soprano; skirts death by wooing contralto.

Count wishes he Susanna had; wife=sad, servant=mad, a mezzo plays a lusty lad. Switcheroo exposes cad, finale he admits he's bad.

Susannah bathes, Elders see,
blame her; Blitch says fervently
Repent, but sins against her, so
he's killed by her protective bro.

Lumberjack still beating his wife. She ID's him as doctor who must be beaten to practice. Thus thrashed, he's hailed as a genius.

UPDATE: I'm now up to 10. (10's the limit, by rule.)

Dante writes that Gianni Schicchi robs a clan by being sneaky. He wills himself a big estate; his daughter's song is also great.

Life is happiness, Candide; Cunegonde's all you need. She'll get raped & die a bit, but survive & gaily glit. Enough? Grow stuff.

How's the fishing? Not good 4 Grimes; worse 4 his help. He wants 2 marry Ellen, but ends up with the best character: the Sea.

Marie is a French GI Jane/Mom says the girl is insane/2 fall 4 the tenor/but he's sure 2 win'er /He sings 9 hi C's with no strain!

Whoops, I'm now up to 11. (10's the limit, by rule.) I'm retracting the lumberjack one as an entry. (I just posted that in a lame effort to drum up interest in "my" opera.)

Wedding Day: Boss wants bride. Old bag wants me. Page just wants it. Send letter. Dress up page. Find mom in bag. It works out!

Disaster! Miss Mussel has removed the 10-entry limit. And on top of that, people started submitting limericks. (You can see I'd already caught the bug with entry #10.) So, here's a few more from yours truly. Must stop...soon.

A prince's fiancé is kept w/in a harem so expect 2 see him try 2 re-collect her, posing as an architect. Joseph votes:2many notes [NOTE: must pronounce fiancé with 3 syllables, stress on the final. Also, this one's not a limerick.]

Her HS days done, tender Laurie/is doing a life inventory/when Martin and Top/just happen to stop/and inevitably alter her story.

Ms Todd & Laetitia r silly/as women can b, as they really/think each has a chance/with Bob & his pants/arousing an aria STEAL ME

UPDATE: More operaplots from 2010.