ah! del tebro al speedo indegno
Hunks in skimpy loincloths have long been a feature of productions of twentieth century opera, especially during the Christopher Keene era at New York City Opera. But you don’t often get to see much homoerotic action in bel canto works like Norma, more’s the pity.
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[via Barihunks]
That’s nothing. James Robinson directed a “Norma” in San Francisco a couple of years ago where there were about 20 supers (including yours truly) who during the same chorus lovingly finger-painted each other’s bare bodies with blue Druid war paint while the male chorus had to look at our bare butts. We were advised during the audition that we would be wearing “loincloths” but they turned out to be faux animal-skin thongs. The real punchline was that I’d been quite ill with pneumonia just before the audition and had lost 40 pounds, but by the time the production rolled around, my health and appetite had returned with a vengeance, so I pretended to be a near-naked Bear Druid.
So it was a case of “Mira, o coro, a’tuoi ginocchi, quest’orso, di tanti chili”
So it was a case of “Mira, o coro, a’tuoi ginocchi, quest’orso, di tanti chili”
Was that the same SF Norma where during Casta Diva Carol Vaness appeared to slit the throat of a youth as sort of a mistletoe sacrifice? What nonsense at such a sublime musical moment.
It made me long for the dull old days of the Sutherland Normas and Life under the Giant Druid Mushroom.
Damn, I need a moment alone.
Dear Santuzza: The Carol Vaness youthful sacrifice “Norma” was actually an earlier misconceived production.
… I think the slit throat of the pretty boy sacrifice was cribbed from the Pasolini “Medea” with Callas. All the boys are lovely in that one (it’s Pasolini … duh), and Medea’s age is implied as the reason she has got so hysterical – it’s the Roman Spring of Ms. Jason. I thought this made sense, and though there are embarassing moments (that centaur!) the movie on the whole is a work of two true geniuses, one behind the camera, one in front of it. Those eyes! If only she’d made more flicks! But the critics chased her out of the movies, as they were never able to do when she was singing and KNEW she knew more than they did.
The Gaul on the right seems to be a little on the chubby side, kinda like Vic Mature in Samson and Delilah. Or is a strange version of the end of the opera, where Norma is stripped and revealed to be a guy, before the burning?
Zink – Did you see that Norma too? I thought Drew Minter was amazing. I’d absolutely never have guessed during his Casta Diva …
What ever happened to Drew Minter?