Is it possible to perform the comedy Zerbinetta and her Lovers and the tragic opera Ariadne at the same time? Yes, when the richest man in Vienna wants it that way!

If you’re a fan of behind-the-scenes comedies, you’ll particularly love the Prologue. (Ariadne is in two parts: the Prologue and the Opera.) The dilemma is this: The wealthiest man in Vienna (the other Vienna, of course…) is hosting an evening of entertainment comprising a serious opera (Ariadne), a comedy (Zerbinetta and her Lovers), and a fireworks display. Time is running short, though, and it is determined that both entertainments must be performed simultaneously so the fireworks can start promptly at 9 pm. Tempers flare, egos collide, and compromises must be made.

The Opera proper merges vignettes by Zerbinetta and her troupe of comedians with the mythic story of the abandonment of Ariadne on the island of Naxos. Left there by her husband and resigned to a solitary death, she refuses to be comforted, even when Zerbinetta tries to convince her that there are plenty of other men in the world. The arrival of the young god Bacchus at first does little to console Ariadne, but at length, she is persuaded. And the fickle Zerbinetta has the last word. “When a new god comes along, we're dumbstruck."