The Love for Three Oranges (L'amour des trois oranges; Любовь к трём апельсинам) is a 1919 satirical opera by Sergei Prokofiev. It premiered in 1921 in Chicago, with a French version of the libretto.
Compare with The Love of Three Oranges, the fairy tale on which the opera was based.
The opera contains examples of:
- Crosscast Role: The Cook is a giant woman, played by a baritone.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The King of Clubs, the Prince, the Cook, the Herald, and the Master of Ceremonies don't have any other names beyond their titles/occupations.
- Evil Chancellor: Leandro, prime minister to the King of Clubs, is secretly in league with Clarice and stealthily poisoning the prince.
- The Evil Princess: Princess Clarice schemes to kill her cousin the Prince and gain the throne for herself.
- The Good Chancellor: Unlike Leandro, the royal advisor Pantalone actually tries to help the King and Prince, suggesting, for example, they call Truffaldino to help the latter's sickness (and it works).
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Fata Morgana decides to come to the feast to ensure the Prince doesn't laugh. He laughs when she falls down.
- No Fourth Wall: The Advocates of Tragedy, Comedy, Lyric Drama, and Farce, and the Cranks comment on the plot and interrupt it all the time.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: Leandro puts "tragic prose" and "Martellian rhymes" into the Prince's food. The Prince becomes almost incurably sick with Induced Hypochondria.
- Theme Naming: The three orange princesses are called Linetta, Nicoletta and Ninetta.
- Unholy Matrimony: Leandro and Clarice are lovers as well as accomplices and intend to marry if Clarice gains the throne. Different productions play it up to different levels.
- Wicked Witch: Fata Morgana is a witch who helps the traitorous faction at the King of Clubs' court, cursing the Prince with an obsession with the eponymous oranges.
