The Venetian Twins is an Australian two-act musical comedy. It was translated and adapted from a commedia dell'arte play - I due gemelli veneziani by Carlo Goldoni -, and the lyrics were written, by Nick Enright; the music was composed and arranged by Terence Clarke. It premiered on 26 October 1979 in the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House. The Nimrod Theatre Company production was directed by John Bell for the inaugural season of the Sydney Theatre Company, and starred Drew Forsythe as the twins; the cast included the coloratura soprano Jennifer McGregor, Tony Sheldon, and Tony Taylor (for all four of whom their roles were specifically written), and John Ewing as Pancrazio, the villain. The script was published by Currency Press, Sydney, in 1996, and the vocal score by Fitzroy Press some time later. The work has been professionally produced in every capital city - three times in Sydney, twice in Brisbane = has twice toured, and is frequently produced by schools and amateur theatre groups. The work has been a set text for the NSW Higher School Certificate English and Drama courses.
There were three women and seven men in the original cast; for the revival by Nimrod at the Seymour Centre in 1981, this was revised to nine; there is some doubling of roles. The instrumentation is: flute doubling guitar; clarinet; trombone; percussion, including tubular bells; and piano.
The manuscript of the libretto and lyrics, and related papers, are held by the Australian Defence Force Academy. [1]