Gioconda’s Symphony

The bitter downfall of a prima donna opera singer; a cultural revolution in a distant land; a trio of con artists - all collide in this melodramatic black comedy by Harry Daisley

‘Gioconda’s Symphony’ is a two act play for six actors. Madame Gioconda’s spiralling career and fading relevance amounts to her abandonment in her manor house with only her servant, Mangun to care for her. With her days of glamour, adoring fans and wealth behind her, she is forced to grapple with the hard truth of her surroundings. Vulnerable and lonely, she receives a visit from a trio of ‘musicians’, proclaiming to be fans of her work. They protest her demise and propose a collaboration whereby they shall reinvent and rebuild Gioconda’s career. Gioconda agrees, being unaware that these men are in fact figureheads of an underground revolution movement with the intention of taking control of the nation led by a man known as the Conductor. They manipulate Gioconda into a puppet of the revolution - a face to attract support and attention. She gives speeches, tours and the occasional operatic performance until she is so radicalised by her desire for fame and love that she agrees to assassinate the current leader (the Chancellor) in the name of the revolution.

Hungry for power, the men agree. The assassination is to take place at the Annual Christmas Ball where Gioconda has been hired to perform. And when her song comes to an end, she pulls a gun to the audience, picking out the Chancellor in the audience. But in the corner of the eye, she sees the man who has corrupted her innocence and morality, the Conductor. In black out, the gun fires and the play ends.