The Bartered Bride

"The lively overture, tremendously popular as a concert number, is made up of themes from the opera.

The action opens in the space before an inn in a Bohemian village, with the townsfolk enjoying themselves in the praise of spring. But Marie and Jenik join only half-heartedly in the general merry-making. They love each other, but Marie is the daughter of well-to-do peasants, while Jenik alas, has not a penny to his name. Marie acknowledges her love for him, but admits that she knows little about him, which he explans by relating that his mother had died, his father had married again, and he had to leave home.

Now come Marie's parents, Krushina and Ludmila, acompanied by a person peculiarly Czec,. Kezal, the marraige broker, who informs them that he has found a suitable husband for their daughter. The father is willing to leave the affair to Kezal, but the mother thinks that Marie should have some say in the matter. It develops that the intended groom is the son of Micha, a wealthy landowner, Vashek by name, who has not appeared to support his claim because he is naturally shy and not at his best in the presence of girls.

Marie returns, and objects to the plans made for her on the score that even that very day she has promised herself to Jenik. Kezal fourishes his contract, which Marie tears from his hand, then flounces out. The parents go off ino the inn to talk things over with Micha, while the villagers rush in for a charming polka. The curtain leaves Kezal considerably puzzled over the impediments his plans are encountering.

The second act takes plac within the inn. We finally gt a view of Vashek, Kezal's candidate for matrimony, who stammers and has little more than half his wits. Marie enters and intuitively senses that here is her intended bridegrom. He does not recognize her, and she assures him this marie is in love with another man and will only make a fool of him. She finally gets him to say he will refuse Marie.

Kezam is in no mood to renounce the fat fee he would collect for the marrauge of Krushina's daugher to the son of the rich Micha, so e feels that a little expenditure to get Jenik out of the way will do no harm. He proposes that Jenik renounce his claim to the hand of marie for three hundred gulden, cash in hand, and is rather surprised at the readiness with which the young man agrees, but inly with the strange, put in writing, that Marie shall marry a son of Micha. Since this is exactly what he desires, Kezal gos off exceedingly pleased with his smart bargain.

Now come the villagers, and with them Kezal, who read the contract h has just negoitated. The people are shoked at Jenik's easy reunication of his betrothed, and do not hesitate to denounce him for his stupidity.

We now return to the scene of the first act. There is a diversion caused by the arrival of a company of players, whose manager enlarges upon the wonders they will see later in the day, including the beautiful Esmerelda and a real bear from the American backwoods. As a sample the comedians dance to delightful Czech tunes. As the manage, Esmerelda, and Vashek are lefta alone, the company's 'Indian' arrives with grim tidings that the man who plays te part of the bear has got himself drunk and is unable to play his part. Esmerelda solves the matter by inducing to don the bear skin, promising that he shall get to dance with her.

Now marie hears of the infamous contract Jenik has made, resigning her in favor of 'son of Micha,' supposedly Vashek. When Jenik enters she approaches him bitterly, but he does not appear to be too downhearted.

There is further intrigue, with Marie decdicng defiantly to go through with the marraige to Vashek, until Jenik announces that he himself is the long lost marraige ro Vashek. His parents acknowldge him, and after some revelation that the bear got loose, and the revelaton tat the fierc America ursine quadrupled and only contained poor, everythng turns out hppily, and all the colk, always on hand for a lively finale, rejoice in animated song."

Description by E. Clyde Whitlock, Music Editor, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (1949)