An Opera by Tobias Picker Libretto by Donald Sturrock Based on a Story by Roald Dahl Commissioned for the Roald Dahl Foundation Published by Schott Helicon Music Corporation (BMI) World premiere by Los Angeles Opera, December 9-22, 1998

Based on Roald Dahl's story of the same name, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a modern fable about good versus evil, technology versus nature, and the complex relationships between animals and humans as they co-exist on the same earth.

Mr. Fox finds that he may have stolen one hen too many when Farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean -- the meanest farmers anywhere -- conspire to rid their fields of the Fox Family once and for all. The farmers pit modern technology against the wit of the creatures of the forest, and the Fox Family emerges triumphant: having had their revenge, the animals retire to a sumptuous feast in the Foxes' new home, far from danger...while the farmers sit in the rain, oblivious to the fact that they have lost their battle and that Nature has prevailed this time.

VIDEO

To realize Fantastic Mr. Fox, Tobias Picker was joined by librettist/stage director Donald Sturrock (far right in the photo), and designer Gerald Scarfe (center in the photo).

Donald Sturrock is the current Artistic Director of the Roald Dahl Foundation, and has worked with many other composers to bring Dahl's imaginal realms to the theatrical stage. Musical adaptations of Dahl's stories include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Goldilocks, The Minpins, Jack and the Beanstalk, and the award-winning television version of Red Riding Hood with Danny DeVito, Ian Holm, and Julie Walters.

Gerald Scarfe, whose recent work includes the designs for Disney's animation motion picture Hercules, is well known for his satire in countless cartoons and illustrations for publications ranging from Time Magazine, Punch, and Private Eye to the London Sunday Times. He also designed and directed the animated sequences in the film Pink Floyd: The Wall.

The illustrations on this page were all drawn by Gerald Scarfe.

CAST OF CREATURES

	Fantastic Mr. Fox (Baritone)	Miss Hedgehog (Soprano)
	Mrs. Fox (Mezzo)	Badger the Miner (Baritone)
	Bennie, Lennie, Jennie, & Pennie Foxcub (Children)	Burrowing Mole (Tenor)
	Farmer Boggis (Bass)	Rita the Rat (Mezzo)
	Farmer Bunce (Tenor)	Porcupine (Tenor)
	Farmer Bean (Bass Baritone)	Chorus of Trees (Children)
	Mavis the Tractor (Soprano)	Various Geese and Chickens
	Agnes the Digger (Mezzo)

SYNOPSIS

ACT I

The curtain rises, revealing the deserted and deteriorating farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean the valley's three nastiest farmers. Mrs. Fox introduces her family and traces a portrait of Boggis, extremely fat from a fondness for chicken. Boggis arrives, singing the praises of his favorite food, when Bunce, short and amusingly dapper, waddles onto the scene and interrupts him. The two quickly begin arguing over the virtues of fowl. Bean enters, reminding his fellow farmers that it doesn't matter as long as people will pay good money for the meat. Unfortunately, a fox has been stealing Boggis's chickens, Bunce's geese, and Bean's apples, so the farmers decide to lie in wait outside the foxhole and shoot the culprit when he emerges.

That evening, at the foxhole, Mr. Fox wakes up eager to venture out into the night. Mrs. Fox warns her husband to be careful, and with good reason, because the three farmers are closing in on the foxhole. Boggis and Bunce start bickering in the spirit of their earlier tussle over the birds, but Bean warns them to quiet down or the foxes will know they're there. The three hide in the undergrowth and wait. As Mr. Fox leaves his home, gunshots ring out.

ACT II

Mr. Fox is sitting in the den, lamenting his lost tail, which was shot off by the farmers. He's afraid that his wife won't love him anymore, but she and the Foxcubs reassure him. His confidence restored, Mr. Fox sends the children to bed, promising to tell them his plan for revenge when the sun rises.

The next morning, Bunce and Boggis rehash the previous night's adventure as Bean drives up in Agnes the Digger, an earthmover. He's decided to dig up the foxes' den with Agnes's help. Boggis and Bunce hop aboard Mavis the Tractor, and they all head out for the den.

Meanwhile, Miss Hedgehog arrives at the foxhole. She's feeling lonely -- she's getting older and can only look forward to spinsterhood. As Mrs. Fox tries to give her some encouraging words, Mr. Fox, Badger the Miner, and Burrowing Mole rush into the foxhole to plot their revenge. They hear the sound of the earthmover growing louder and louder, and, sensing the danger, Mr. Fox tells them his plan.

The farmers and their machines arrive at the den, and Agness declares her credo of destruction, inspiring Mavis' admiration. The two machines join forces and start digging.

ACT III

The orchestra depicts the destruction of the foxhole and the animals' flight into the forest. Agnes and Bean are in the bottom of an enormous crater, and Mavis, Boggis, and Bunce peer at them from the edge above. Boggis and Bunce want to leave, but Agnes browbeats them into staying. Bean tells everyone to wait for the fox -- they'll shoot him as soon as he comes out into the sunlight. But Boggis and Bunce enentually manage to sneak off anyway.

In the forest, the animals burrow out of the ground and celebrate their escape. Mrs. Fox mourns her lost home, but their friends promise to build them a new den. Everyone agrees that the time for revenge has arrived, so Mr. Fox, Mole, and Badger head for Bean's farm. Outside the farmer's cellar, they meet Rita the Rat, who agrees to help them punish the farmers if they'll get rid of Porcupine, who's taken over the cellar. It turns out that Porcupine was trapped, so Mr. Fox ends up rescuing him. The Foxcubs join their father and they run rampant through the farmyards, helping themselves to chickens, geese, and cider. Bunce and Boggis arrive too late to catch any of the animals but in plenty of time to see the foxes' revenge.

That evening, at the new foxhole, Mrs. Fox and the Foxcubs serve dinner to thank their friends. Porcupine arrives a bit late, and there's only one seat left at the table -- next to Miss Hedgehog. They admire each other's spines and fall in love at first sight.

Outside in the pouring rain, the farmers and their machines wait for the foxes in the crater. For all Mrs. Fox knows, the're still there to this very day.