The Big Bonanza: an Opera in Two Acts

Cast and Instruments from The Big Bonanza

Below you will find a list of the principal cast and instrumental requirements for The Big Bonanza. The score also calls for a Chorus comprised of eleven or more members, from which a variety of additional singing and non-singing roles are drawn, as listed below.

Cast List

• William Wright (alias Dan De Quille), baritone
• Caroline Wright, lyric soprano
• John Mackay (MACK-ee), owner of the Ophir (OH-fur) Mine, bass-baritone
• Samuel Clemens (alias Mark Twain), tenor
• Julia Bulette (boo-LET), dramatic soprano
• Pickboy, treble
• Jean Millean, accused murderer, tenor
• Zhang, bari-tenor

Singing Choral Roles:

• a Barmaid
• a Drunken Prospector
• the Curbstone Philosopher
• the Spiritualist
• a Stock Broker
• various Townspeople
• two Firemen
• a trio of Miners
• Father Manogue and two Sycophants

Non-Singing Choral Roles:

• Henry Comstock
• a Paiute
• the Executioner
• an Opium Smoker
• a quartet of dancing Desert Animals
• some nattering Nabobs
• a Daughter of Charity
• a concertina player is called for to play the role of the Barkeep

A complete breakdown of scenes charted by Character appearance is available in Adobe .pdf format.

Instrument List (32 players)

• Flute (piccolo)
• Oboe (English horn)
• 2 Clarinets in Bb (Eb soprano & Bb bass clarinet)
• Bassoon
• Contrabassoon
• 2 Horns in F
• Trumpet in C
• Trombone
• 2 Percussion
• Harp
• Piano (celeste)
• Concertina (on stage in Scenes 1 & 3)
• Er hu (Scene 7 only)
• Strings