Semi-ubiquitous
Our editor JJ‘s busy week included a review of the Met’s Aegyptische Helena in Gay City News, and that panel La Cieca has been yammering about all week. As his presentation on the topic “Opera and Technology,” JJ introduced this little documentary about your own La Cieca.
Wonderful la Cieca
Shamefully, I missed the panel. I heard it was most enjoyable!
You go, girl! And promote yourself as shamelessly as you care to. We love having you! And we love having Parterre!
La Cieca, you are so funny! You also have the courage to do as an adult what I and two close friends ( brothers) did as children. We were trapped out in the sticks, only able to listen to opera through the massive 78/45 collection available and the Saturday broadcasts. (Often the parents were away AT those performances.) If we wanted live opera, we had to do it ourselves!
Our main device of devilment was a giant reel to reel tape recorder. Being only three we would have tow rewrite the librettos somewhat, and then record it with the sections of music in the background we needed, along with chrous. We would record ourselves too, to act as prompters in our bits.
We actually went so far to as to stage our creations, because we had an attic full of materials and props dating back a century- their grandmother had been one of the 400, and her duds and her other 2 husbands’ as well were all stacked up there. As the only female, I managed to get away with being some character revolving around Schwarzkopf’s roles, my excuse being that we only had blonde wigs. The truth was she played stronger characters that didn’t tend to die, and well, she was soo….grand.
Our audiences usually consisted of the wonderfully humourous and ancient Aunt, and her few friends left alive. The suffered us because they knew all the operas and could understand what we were making fun of. No doubt this was aided by Julips and Long Island iced tea served along with the show.
These things all came to an end with the death of the ancient aunt. Somehow it didn’t seem the same without her cackling at us. Now many years later I can look back and think of all that talent wasted, LOL.
Coincidently, it was one of those grown up brothers who referred me to this site.
Thanks for the fun, and the memories.
Thanks scifisci for the rundown on the new rushline at the Met. I hope I’m not left out in the cold when I go next month.
And La Cieca, sheer brilliance in your little flick. That was great fun. And what was with the thanks? Why in the hell would I deserve thanks? LOL. Perhaps for my Ree-nee comment which didn’t make the clip. HAHA. That was choice that you threw that sound clip in there…
-Le baryton
P.S. – You forgot to mention that straights listen and participate faithfully in your musings. Gays aren’t the only ones with operatic preoccupations, love for the banter/gossip, and a sense of humor! However, I must say a ton of you queens really DO have some of the best wit out there… I probably have spent countless hours after all this time roaring over some of the comments and dialogue on this site.
Thanks for the operatic knowledge and laughs everyone!