Summary
A nine-year-old girl steps through a magic mirror and travels back in time to the chaotic opening night of Gioachino Rossini's comic opera The Barber of Seville. As an invisible helper, she works to turn a disastrous premiere into the triumph history remembers. Features music from The Barber of Seville, the William Tell Overture, and The Thieving Magpie.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A time-traveling girl helps rescue the messy first night of Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville.
- Rossini wrote comic operas — funny ones. How can music make you laugh or feel playful?
- The opera's opening night went badly at first. Why might a brand-new show have a rough start?
- Have you heard the William Tell Overture before, maybe in a cartoon? Where?
- What makes a piece of music feel fast, sneaky, or comical?
Quick work-a-long
Words to know: comic opera, overture, premiere, composer
- Listen for a "sneaky" or "funny" moment in Rossini's music and describe what the instruments do.
- The Barber of Seville failed on opening night but became a classic. Write one sentence about sticking with something after a bad start.