Mass Ballet Presents Cipollina on Saturday, June 14 at Framingham State University at 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM
Synopsis of Cipollina
Act I
Scene 1
Long ago in a faraway magical land, vegetables live in a quaint village and pay taxes every month to their landlord, Prince Lemon.
Cipollone (Big Onion or Papa Onion) lives with his eldest child Cipollina and her younger siblings in a house made from a vegetable crate.
Their next door neighbors are their good friends, the Ravanello (Radish) family.
Cobbler Grape and her family cannot afford shoes for themselves, but they make the finest shoes for all the vegetables of the village.
Grandmother Pumpkin has been collecting bricks her whole life in the hopes of eventually building a house for herself and all her little pumpkin seeds.
Scene 2
In his castle, Prince Lemon demands the Air, Sun, and Rain come dance for him. He and Captain Tomato try to capture them, but their soldiers have a hard time making nature conform to the Prince’s wishes.
Scene 3
Everyone in the village is dancing and enjoying themselves when Prince Lemon arrives with his lemon soldiers and Captain Tomato to announce new taxes.
When the soldiers enter they kick down the beginnings of Grandmother Pumpkin’s house. Grandmother Pumpkin rolls away, sobbing. The Ravanello and Cipollone children quickly collect her bricks and hide them away.
Prince Lemon announces that the air, the sun and the rain will now be taxed. The villagers start to cry out in anger, but are silent when Captain Tomato grabs Cipollone by the hair. Of course, Cipollone is an onion and Captain Tomato starts to cry. The Lemon Soldiers arrest Cipollone. Cipollina vows to find her father and rescue him.
Scene 4
The villagers work together to re-build Grandmother Pumpkin’s house. Captain Tomato, Prince Lemon and the lemon soldiers the villagers hide the house and run them off. Ravanella misses Cipollina and wants to go help her – her sisters beg her not to go but she is determined.
ACT II
Scene 1
Villagers and families wave goodbye to Ravanella. Cipollina and Ravenella separately sneak into the Orchard Palace, where a masked ball is taking place for the Noble Court of Lemons, Peaches, Plums, Cherries, and Apples. Prince Lemon and Captain Tomato fight for the attention of the Cherry Princesses, but they are so mean to each other that the Princesses are disgusted and send them away. Ravanella and Cipollina ask the princesses to help. One of them pretends to be sick to create a distraction, the other helps them rescue Cipollone. Captain Tomato and Prince Lemon discover the prisoners’ escape and fight over whose fault it is.
Scene 2
Prince Lemon`s soldiers and the Tomato Guards search everywhere for the escaped prisoner and argue over who is responsible. Cipollina manages to hide her father and Ravanella, but is taken prisoner by the guards. The guards cannot stop crying as they drag Cipollina away, and they eventually let her go.
Scene 3
Back in the village, the onions and radishes are helping Grandmother Pumpkin build her house.
The Prince is furious and orders that the town be bombarded with cannon fire. But the onions chase off the guards and soldiers, who run away sobbing.
Ravanella and Cipollina together with Cipollone, Grandmother Pumpkin and Cobbler Grape declare that not only will the sun, air, rain and be free, so will the land! Houses for everyone!
Written by Maggie Crowley, inspired by the book by Gianni Rodari and libretto by Gennadi Rykhlov.
Sources:
https://www.bolshoirussia.com/performance/Chipollino/
Libretto by Gennadi Rykhlov in Genrikh Mayorov’s version after the fairy-tale of the same name by Gianni Rodari
Rodari, Gianni. The Adventures of Cipollino. Translated by Antony Shugaar, illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova, Enchanted Lion Books, 2025.
