Act I

It seems that even the lands inhabited by comic opera fall prey to religious intolerance, revolution and mayhem. Some twenty years before our curtain rises, the kind of the idyllic realm of Barataria (a little known country described by Cervantes) abandoned the Catholic faith of his fathers. The Grand Inquisitor of Spain, Don Alhambra del Bolero, foreseeing dire consequences, abducted the infant prince and ordered Inez his nurse to give him to a worthy, if bibulous, Venetian gondolier, to be raised with his own son. Believing in republican equality and confused by an excess of Chianti he soon forgot which of the likely lads was which. He even forgot to let them into the secret, and with his untimely passing, only Inez still knows which of the two is the true prince. She is not available for comment, however, being back in Spain somewhere with her brigand husband.

The heretical king and his followers have now perished lamentably in an uprising so the identity of the true prince is of no little import, especially since he was married when six months old to Casilda, the infant daughter of the puissant, if chronically indigent, Duke of Plaza-Toro. He, with his Duchess and Casilda, who is still ignorant of her wifely state, are due to arrive in Venice any moment, in pursuit of the new king - whichever he is!

Having got all that exposition out of the way, we can now let the curtain rise. Knowing nothing of their natal-cum-matrimonial pickle, the "brothers," Marco and Guiseppe, have chosen this, of all days, to finally select their brides from the bevy of adoring girls of which Venice is so justly proud. Since they claim to be equally fond of them all, they decide on a game of blind-man's-buff to do the picking for them. To the relief of all the other gondoliers who have their eyes on several of the beauties themselves, two available, but charming, ladies, Tessa and Gianetta, are caught to everyone's satisfaction. Off they all go to find a vacant priest.

Enter the seasick and bedraggled Duke, Duchess, daughter and their suite - one Luis, drummer, valet, factotum and son of Inez - seeking Don Alhambra, the rightful king, and some Alka Seltzer, thought not necessarily in that order. The proud parents reveal to Casilda that she is now Queen of Barataria and leave to meet the Don. Casilda has treated Luis with great disdain, but now runs to his arms in tears. They have been secret lovers but now must part for ever.

Don Alhambra reassures the ducal party that Inez can reveal all and sends Luis off to Spain to bring her post haste. He feels that the time is now ripe to explain the situation to Marco and Guiseppe and is mot put out to find them newly wed. He discreetly conceals the matter of Casilda pro-tem, and persuades them to leave their brides and set off at once to assume joint command in Barataria till the rightful king is identified. Despite their magnificent republicanism, the news that one of the pairs is to be king and queen has causes the quartet a mild change of heart, and our two heroes decide to take their cronies with them to establish an ideal kingdom where all shall equal be.

Act II

The second act find the brothers happily "kinging" it in Barataria - and doing most of the work themselves, since all their friends are Lord High This and Lord High That. To their delight, Gianetta and Tessa arrive with the other ladies - they just couldn't stay away any longer. Don Alhambra intrudes on the celebrations and has no choice but to reveal the stern fact that only one of the couples is married, and that Casilda is the rightful wife of - whoever! Indeed she and her ducal parents, now restored to opulence, have just come to witness the imminent arrival of Inez.

Casilda explains to the perplexed quartet that she is in love with somebody else and they all commiserate with each other, but can see no light at the end of the tunnel. The Duchess describes how she made herself love the Duke, and he attempts to impart some grace and courtly decorum to the brothers' comportment.

The stage is now set for the final revelation. Inez enters and declares that the true king is - wait for it, wait for it - Luis! She claims that she kept the royal babe herself and let her own infant son be raised by the gondolier. Be that as it may, Luis, resplendent in royal robes, takes both his throne and the joyful Casilda. Marco, Guiseppe, Gianetta and Tessa, only a little miffed, are free to start their long postponed honeymoon. Happiness - dancing - curtain.