La Cieca and her saga prove that you are gaga
Your doyenne guiltily just realized that she has not yet taken a moment to pen a “thank you” note to that member of the cher public who sent her the George Steel watch as a holiday gift. In the spirit of that timepiece, La Cieca would like to update yesterday afternoon’s open-and-shut, 100% certain, no questions asked posting that announced in no uncertain terms that the Met will revive the Franco Zeffirelli version of Tosca in 2010-2011.
One detail that La Cieca overlooked: in fact, the Met will not revive the Zeffirelli. According to her backstage soupçonnier, “It’s Bondy - no ifs, no ands, no buts. Absolutely unshakeable position: Bondy, Bondy, Bondy.”
And so, the moral (with which you cannot quarrel)? Don’t make up your mind!
DAMN!
pffft. it would have been a media blitz scene!
Who cares! It’s not Corelli and Gobbi and nothing they can do can ever bring them back. Besides, even if they did run two sets in alternation, there would not be time for the chorus and the kids to memorize a different staging, so they would just do the same blocking in both floor plans, which would not be fair to either Bondy or Frengo. They can make the Bondy set a little more elegant with some new furniture, some fine props and visible candles burning that are not used in the end of act II.
This is like our version of the sports world’s, “Is the coach going to replace the starting quarterback with the backup? Maybe platoon both of them?” It sends the sports radio callers into a frenzy, chews up columnist inches, and leads to water cooler discussions. Every word of the coach is parsed. “Oh? He only said the quarterback played ‘well’?”
What we need now is a new public “vote of confidence” from Gelb about the Bondy production. Then we’ll know for sure that Bondy is doomed.
I like the cut of your jib.
“columnist inches”?
for all intensive purposes, yes.
for all intents and purposes
Even if Bondy gets revived, you bet your ass some of the staging will have been revised. My first guess: no whores.
Just as I predicted! Perhaps they’ll even add candles at the end of Act II, and perhaps Bondy will take his name off the show (and refuse ever to work at the MET again—would THAT make the vultures happy?).
Reinstating the Zeff would have been a huge blunder. They’d never be able to replace it, and the notion of opera production as a meaningful art-form would take a big hit.
We’ll get a new new Tosca at the MET by 2016. And maybe a soprano to sing it.
Those whores always take it on the chin.
The chin? So perverse…
Baritenor- Do you mean in Act Two or in the title role?
Tra la, he never gave his word;
Tra la, this action is absurd.
He said he loved it at the start
And then he had a change of heart.
It’s illustrative of the power wielded by our Doyenne. Gelb was going to do the Z-Tosca until yesterday’s article here on the Box laid out all the ways it would make him look ridiculous for losing this battle in which he has invested so much of his amour propre. What would he have said next time he ran into a pumped-up J.J. in the steam room of the NYAC?
Let’s just all thank the Spirit of Christmas Present that La Cieca rules with fairness and moderation so long as nobody crosses. If they do, regarde-toi. Gelb, at least, has clearly begun to absorb this lesson.
You don’t really believe this nonsense, do you?
Incredible. Just incredible.
About those whores..I saw Tosca in HD and the average age of the audience was about 75 and no one batted an eye at the topless whore..or even the simulated sex…but the PLATFORM SHOES brought the house down.
I wonder if they have already told Zeffirelli that his production is gone. As of a couple of days ago he was on Italian TV boasting that the Met was doing his Tosca again..