soap hunk: ‘opera shrank my wang!’
The colleague who sent the following item to La Cieca called it “the best opera story of the year,” and your doyenne cannot but agree.
It seems that back in 2001 a young actor named Juan Pablo di Pace did a nude scene in David McVicar‘s production of Rigoletto for the Royal Opera. A photograph of a scene from the opera (including the starkers super) has been used since then in the ROH’s advertising of the production. (Meanwhile, Juan Pablo has risen from the ranks of nude walkons to achieve fame and fortune as a star of the BBC Scotland soap River City.)Â
Now, don’t get him wrong, Juan Pablo is totally okay with nudity. the problem here is that in the Rigoletto photo “a crucial part of his anatomy has been air-brushed unflatteringly, making it appear much smaller than it is in real life.”
Apparently each time the photo was recycled for another advertising campaign, the Photoshop police snipped a smidge more off poor Juan Pablo’s package, to the point that the 2005 version of the poster “made it look like he barely had one at all.”
You can click on the image to enlarge. The photo, I mean.
The original article in the Daily Mail helpfully adds that the Verdi’s opera “tells the story of Rigoletto, a bitter hunchbacked jester who seeks vengeance on the Duke of Mantua for seducing his only daughter. But the plan backfires and leads to tragedy.” Not unlike Juan Pablo’s nude scene, La Cieca concludes.
A production of Trovatore I saw last year, updated it to the Spanish Civil War. Comes time for new recruit soldiers to come to Di Luna’s camp. A mob file in, strip starkers, bend over – baring their arses directly to the audience before changing into army gear. At that exact moment I expected also a large short unison blast from the ‘winds’ to project out into the audiotorium. The production was on the ‘nose’ anyway.
I can only think of Rigoletto and Salome as McVicar productions involving nudity. His Boheme for GTO and his Covent Garden Nozze are two of the greatest productions I’ve ever seen live, and his Cesare, which I’ve only seen on DVD is pretty spectacular. I wouldn’t lump him in with the regie weirdos or the gratuitous brigade.
Oh, and David- he’s 40, I think. Little ginger fella.
Little ginger fella:
Yes, just over 40. If I give you the link to the article there is a picture of him in his vest (UK usage of ‘vest’):
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/07/23/bmmcvic21.xml
Trying to decide if he’s attractive (and I’m sure he, along with the rest of you, is waiting with baited breath for the decision) – I think probably yes.
Or hostess got there before me!
Figaro did get his breeches off though!
I think the phot of Juan Pablo is taken, ahem, head on, and it’s that that causes the apparent shrinkage. I concur with amerjaquino regarding River City. I’d think appearing in that would be far more emmbarassing than being naked in an Underground poster.
Isn’t this production out on dvd? Is Juan Pablo in that cast?
Die kleine zauberflote. Maybe he had just gotten out of the ocean. You guys know that cold water causes shrinkage.