David Belasco was one of the great figures in American theater history. He wrote, directed, or produced over a hundred plays, launched the careers of many stars, and pioneered lighting and set design techniques still in use almost a century after his death. He was known as “The Bishop of Broadway.”
One of his plays was The Girl of the Golden West. Opera composer Giacomo Puccini went to that play while visiting New York. The only problem was that Puccini couldn’t understand the words since he didn’t speak English. That might make you think the man was a bit mad.
Puccini wasn’t mad, and he was talented. He composed some of the most popular operas in history. The list includes La Boheme, Tosca, Turandot, Madama Butterfly, and many others.
Puccini’s fans love his memorable melodies. And they love that each opera has a story. That’s what drew Puccini to the darkened theater and David Belasco’s play. He was looking for a story he could turn into an opera.
Puccini applied two simple tests to the play he was watching. He watched how the audience responded. That told him if the emotional content was engaging.
He also wanted to judge the quality of the story itself. Puccini figured that if he could follow the story of the play without understanding a word that was spoken, it was a play that would make a first-rate opera.
The Girl of the Golden West was a play like that. So was another Belasco play, Madama Butterfly. Puccini liked stories that were simple and powerful.
That’s the Puccini Principle. Good ideas don’t require elaborate explanations and translations. If you can explain them in a simple sentence or two, you’ve probably got a winner. If you attempt to explain your idea and all you get are puzzled looks, either your telling or the idea itself needs work.
Use the Puccini Principle to test your ideas, plans, and explanations. A simple story is best in the real world, not just in opera.
How can you apply the Puccini Principle to your writing?
