#one of the jerkiest tenors i've encountered

[monotonous-minutia]

Cast of Mignon: reality check

(apologies in advance if none of this makes sense. It’s a pretty obscure opera.)

Mignon (Sperata), mezzo-soprano

Mezzo heroines for the win! Gets a relatively famous mezzo aria (”Connais-tu le pays”) Here portrayed as older than her literary counterpart, but still unfortunately in love with one of the biggest jerks in opera and literature in general (sorry not sorry Goethe). Canonically genderfluid because Barbier and Carré are awesome. She deserves much more than what this world throws at her (including Wilhelm) and unfortunately her naivete is probably what leads her to believe she doesn’t have the ability to seek out better things. If she were given the chance to explore the world and gain experience outside her former captivity (and Wilhelm), she would be better able to make smarter choices. Aside from this general misfortune, she is extremely sweet and adorable, altogether too accommodating (a trait that literally almost gets her killed). She should have gone off with Lothario after he adopts her, like he asked her to, and the two of them could have travelled to her homeland and made the discovery of their relation without Wilhelm. Also, she should totally date Frédéric. Although getting together with Wilhelm isn’t the ideal happy ending, she does find her father and her home and her real name (Sperata). It’s unfortunate we had to wait three hours to be able to call her that.

Wilhelm, tenor

A student. Classic example of the Dick Tenor. Basically wants to roam the world without commitments or consequences, which truthfully is relatable; but when it’s at the expense of the well-being of people in your life, it’s not really fair. He is decently nice to Mignon, taking care of her when she starts following him around and when she gets sick. However, the fact that he only starts to fall for her when she presents as feminine is unfair and tbh kinda gross. He does not heed the warnings of Laerte, who (as seen below) has gotta win some kind of record for tenor braincells. Wilhelm is totally smitten with Philine because of her charm and her fame; we can’t really blame him for that, since pretty much everyone is. And yeah, he does risk his life to save Mignon. Still doesn’t save his dick personality, though. Overall he just needs an attitude adjustment, a splash of reality, and probably a good slap in the face. (Sorry, I just really do not like Wilhelm.)

Lothario, bass

A wandering musician. Genuine Good Bass. Traditional operatic adopted father figure, but in this case, it just so happens that the child he rescues and adopts actually is his kid. This isn’t discovered until the end, though. He’s clearly traumatized, and of course society interprets this as him having lost his mind. He turns to music for comfort. Constantly searching for the thing he has lost, but he can’t remember what that is. Primarily only interacts with Mignon, whom he tries to protect from the rest of the world. Unfortunately he is also very suggestable, which leads to the unfortunate incident of Philine’s theater getting burned down when Mignon wishes a fiery death on her rival. Once he rediscovers his identity as both Mignon’s father and a nobleman, it’s clear he’s going to put these roles to good use and make the world a better place. Now if only he’d have the sense to kick Wilhelm out.

Philine, soprano

A singer and actress. Thing is, Philine would probably be more of a halfway decent person if she weren’t infatuated with Wilhelm. After all, she is the one who paid for Mignon’s freedom, and in the extended ending she has a moment where she almost apologizes. Plus, the biggest mean thing she does wasn’t meant to be life-threatening for those involved, and she only did it because she was jealous of the attention Wilhelm was giving Mignon. Another case of sopranos losing brain cells around tenors. In general, she’s still a vain, self-centered drama queen. We can understand her desire to live life to the fullest; if only it weren’t at the expense of those around her. Truthfully, she and Wilhelm are probably a better match for each other than the (operatic) canon couple, because of their mutual obliviousness to the needs of others and their similarly self-absorbed attitudes. In the original (extended) ending, she does say she’s going to get together with Frédéric, but for his sake, let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Laerte, tenor

An actor in Philine’s troupe. Plays the role of Genuinely Good Tenor since Wilhelm can’t be bothered to. Probably the smartest person in this opera. He sees what everyone else refuses to see and tries to be practical, but that’s hard when you’re surrounded by oblivious lovebirds. Primary function is to provide sarcastic commentary. Has a delightful little number where he teases Philine. Tries to warn Wilhelm against falling for Philine, but of course Wilhelm doesn’t listen. Laerte clearly feels for both Mignon and Frédéric. However, he has basically given up on trying to interfere in other people’s lives. Why he continues to follow Philine around is anyone’s guess. He probably just enjoys observing the drama that consistently surrounds her.

Frédéric, mezzo, is absolutely never a tenor because that would be ridiculous

One of the most adorable and underrated trouser roles in opera. As per usual, very much crushing on the soprano and jealous of her affections for the tenor. Has an absolutely delightful number when he sneaks into Philine’s room. Draws his sword on Wilhelm as a challenge when they find they’ve each snuck in to meet Philine in her room. Wilhelm clearly does not take him seriously. Pretty much no one does, in fact. He does laugh at Mignon when he sees her in a dress, which isn’t very nice, especially given her self-esteem is almost nonexistent to begin with. He’d probably gain a few brain cells if he gave up on Philine. It’s insinuated at the end (in the original ending, at least) that he does, in fact, wind up with Philine. However, I’m still in camp Mezzos Should Run Off Together, and I think if Frédéric lets go of his obsession with Philine, and Mignon lets go of her obsession with Wilhelm, the mezzos could totally get together.

Jarno, bass

Functional purpose is to be the one who kidnapped Mignon and eventually sells her to Wilhelm (who sets her free), but is also a really insulting portrayal of stereotypes surrounding Romani people, which isn’t entirely the librettist’s fault because it’s based on the original source material, but still, Barbier and Carré could have done better. But this opera is pretty messed up in general. They probably should have just picked a different story.