Anna Netrebko again. Oddly, the aria is not “Da, chas nastal!”
Remember that prediction that La Cieca made about how Renee Fleming would bring her Norma into New York? Turns out that may have been inaccurate. (Yes, you have every right to be shocked and amazed. This is surely a first.) Yes, La Cieca hears, the Met is planning a production of the Bellini masterpiece, but with a different Druidess-in-chief, Anna Netrebko.
Yeah, that sounds pretty unlikely to La Cieca too: surely if Fleming is singing Norma by that faraway date she would invoke “dibs” at the Met. Or maybe once the new Norma is in the repertoire, Netrebko would sweep triumphantly into the first revival, the way Montserrat Caballe followed Joan Sutherland.
Or, on the other hand, Netrebko would make a pretty adorable Adalgisa, and boy, would that DVD fly off the shelves!
Ah, well, La Cieca will just keep throwing gossip at the wall until something sticks. Something always does.
“Tony Danza will play Max Bialystock in the Broadway production of The Producers starting Dec. 19.” — Playbill News
On the stage of The Producers
Mamma mia, I had a shock!
Was that really Tony Danza
Playing Max Bialystock?
On the stage of The Producers
Mamma mia, I had a shock!
Was that really Tony Danza
Playing Max Bialystock?
Was that really Tony Danza?
Mamma mia, Bialystock!
Mamma Mia! (He wouldn’t suck!)
Abba, Abba, Abba,
Abba, Abba, Abba,
Mamma Mia! (He wouldn’t suck!)
Mamma mia, I had a shock!
Was that really Tony Danza
Playing Max Bialystock?
On the stage of The Producers
Mamma mia, I had a shock!
Was that really Tony Danza
Playing Max Bialystock?
Was that really Tony Danza?
Mamma mia, Bialystock!
Tony Danza? Are you kidding?
A meshugah thing to do!
Who would ever think of casting
Tony Danza as a Jew?
Did John Lithgow seem too grand or
Harvey Fierstein too refined?
Where were Jason Alexander,
Gary Beach, and Richard Kind?
Mamma mia, mamma mia!
On the stage of The Producers!
Mamma mia, mamma mia,
Mamma mia, Bialystock!
Tony, Tony, Tony,
Tony, Tony, Tony,
Mamma mia, Bialystock!
Tony, Tony, Tony,
Tony, Tony, Tony,
Mamma mia, Bialystock!
La la ra la ra la la la la ra la!
But casting Tony Danza
Is a tricky undertaking;
He could star as Mario Lanza,
But if only he could sing.
I’d don’t think he’d be terrific
Playing Shakespeare in the Park.
He’d be wrong for South Pacific,
Worse for Lady in the Dark.
Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia!
That’s the show for Tony Danza!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! (He wouldn’t suck!)
Abba, Abba, Abba,
Abba, Abba, Abba,
Mamma Mia! (He wouldn’t suck!)
Abba, Abba, Abba,
Abba, Abba, Abba,
Mamma Mia! (He wouldn’t suck!)
La la ra la ra la la la la ra la!
Abba, Abba, Abba,
Mamma Mia! (He wouldn’t suck!)
La la ra la ra la la la la ra la!
Roberto Alagna appeared on an Italian talk show this evening to explain (once again) his side of the walkout. The host is Pippo Baudo, the ex Mr. Katia Ricciarelli.
Join La Cieca on the evening of Thursday, December 21 for a live chat about the world premiere of Tan Dun‘s The First Emperor. The chat room will open for this special event at 7:30 p.m. and the yakking will continue until the final curtain. Check back at parterre.com on Thursday for a link to the chat room. In the meantime, La Cieca has managed to obtain several minutes of video of the top-secret dress rehearsal of this production. So, for your pleasure, cher public, a sneak preview of The First Emperor.
You may well be surprised to hear La Cieca say this, cher public, but she’s bellowing a lusty “brava” to none other than Renee Fleming. On yesterday’s matinee Met broadcast of Rigoletto, Fleming took on a role associated with Geraldine Farrar, that of intermission commentatress. One of the first questions she lobbed at Joseph Calleja (Duca in the performance) was his opinion on the Roberto Alagna brouhaha. Calleja sensibly non-committed, but Fleming spoke eloquently off the cuff, essentially becoming the first member of the opera establishment to defend the “walkout” tenor. Now, admittedly, Fleming has some personal stake in this [...]
Cher Public