CEDAR FALLS -- Light-hearted and satirically witty, "Gianni Schicchi" has been described as "condensed Puccini," but there's nothing "opera lite" about the music or lyrics.

"It's a real gem," says Sandra Walden, who is directing the opera on a double-bill for the University of Northern Iowa's Theatre UNI and UNI School of Music. "The lyrical melodies, lush orchestration, wonderful ensemble … it's full Puccini -- three hours of music in about 55 minutes. It has a famous aria, 'O mio babbino caro' -- you may not know the name, but you'll recognize the music because it's been used in commercials and movie soundtracks."

Performances of "Gianni Schicchi" and the less-familiar "La Serva Padrona" ("The Servant Mistress") by Giovanni Pergolesi opens Thursday through March 5 at the Strayer-Wood Theatre. Puccini's only comedy will be sung in English, while "La Serva Padrona" will be performed in Italian with subtitles.

"I'm thrilled to be directing these two operas. Musically, they are very different from each other, but they have a connection -- deception is always justified in the name of true love," says Walden, laughing. An experienced opera singer, director and instructor in the UNI School of Music, she describes the roles as "demanding yet manageable by young singers like our students. It's so much fun to sing Puccini - you can schmaltz it up a little bit because that's the style."

Last season, Walden directed the Stephen Sondheim musical thriller "Sweeney Todd" on the Great Hall stage at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, which was hugely successful. "When we chose a show for this season, I really wanted to do something that didn't have murder, rape and cannibalism in it like 'Sweeney Todd.' I wanted to do something funny instead of dark. Unfortunately, there's still a dead body in one of the operas -- but at least it's a comedy," she says, laughing.

In the Puccini tale, money-grubbing relatives are upset when wealthy Buoso Donati dies and they learn he's left his worldly goods and money to monks. No one outside the family knows Donati has died, so the conniving clan enlists Gianni Schicchi to impersonate Donati and change his will. Schicchi's daughter is involved with the son of one of Donati's relatives, so he agrees but "when he sees how treacherous and rotten the family is, he decides to help them a little and his daughter a lot," Walden explains.

In Dante's "Inferno," Canto XXX, Schicchi is found berserk in the Eighth Circle of Hell with other forgers and cheats. Schicchi and the Donati family really existed in 13th century Florence, and according to historians, a crumbling tower on the Via del Corso, close to Dante's birthplace, is evidence of the Donatis' great house. Dante's second marriage was to a member of the Donati family.

Joel Waggoner of Waterloo sings the title role. A Waterloo Community Playhouse veteran, Waggoner understudied and performed the Sweeney Todd role in several performances last season. There are 15 other cast members and all female roles have been double-cast to provide opportunities for students to "sing roles of substance," Walden says. One actor plays a mute role as the dead Donati.

Peroglesi's "La Serva Padrona" depicts the struggle between master and maid for control of the household, and features a three-person cast, baritone Stephen Fish as Uberto, the master, sopranos Sarah Duvel of Cedar Falls and Cindy Shadrick of Waterloo, double-cast as the maid Serpina, and Ben Walter as the silent valet, Vespone.

The music is light and frothy, and the verbal sparring between the master who decides to look for a wife and the maid who thinks it should be her, is highly entertaining, Walden says.

"Naturally it has a happy ending but it so much fun getting there. Our singers are doing beautifully with the Italian, although the audience will be able to keep up because English subtitles will be projected. There's a lot of 'spoken' singing of dialogue and it's been great for students to work in this aspect of singing."

Music direction is by Rebecca Burkhardt, professor in the UNI School of Music.

Set scenery was designed by Mark Parrott; "La Serva Padrona" costumes have been designed by student Molly Taylor. Amy S. RohrBerg has designed costumes for "Gianni Schicchi.

Theatre UNI/UNI School of Music presents opera comedies "La Serva Padrona" and "Gianni Schicchi"

Performances of are Thursday, Saturday and March 3 at 7:30 p.m., and March 5 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for the general public, $10 for students, and free for UNI students with ID. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Strayer-Wood Theatre box office at (319) 273-6381 or online at http://www.theatreuni.com.