In Handel’s first oratorio, four allegorical characters, Beauty, Pleasure, Time, and Disillusionment, debate the fleeting nature of beauty and the dangers of leading al ife of vanity. I reimagined these characters in a modern family drama. We find Bellezza as a young girl balanced on the precipice between adolescence and adulthood. Scared of her uncertain future, she flies into the arms of Piacere, a Peter-Pan-type figure who promises an eternity of excitement and youth. On the other side, her parents Tempo (Time) and Disinganno (Disillusionment) attempt to guide Bellezza to grow up and face Truth, which will one day steal the beauty she holds dear.

​

If given the chance, why not stay forever young and beautiful, living only to please yourself? Händel forces us to confront this reality. A life tied solely to immediate pleasure never finds lasting contentment. A person mired in vanity never has the chance to fully understand others. The choice between pleasure and truth, between vanity and honesty, is a familiar crossroads. But growing up and realizing that we are not invincible, that time comes for all of us just the same, allows us to become a part of the wider world. Bellezza does indeed choose to grow up, giving herself a chance at a fuller future, with all of its beauty, all of its ugliness, and everything human in between.