Headshot of La Cieca

Cher Public

  • Buster: We get Edith Haller in L’Upupa soon, with John Mark Ainsley ...
  • La Valkyrietta: Of course that was Eileen Farrell singing for Eleanor Parker...
  • Indiana Loiterer III: I don't know whether she deserves another award, but no doub...
  • Quanto Painy Fakor: If course people who sing at the MET pay for private coachin...
  • La Valkyrietta: There does not seem to be her Ernani Involami in youtube. ...
  • kashania: Oh, I'm leaving for a week's vacation today. Sorry to miss ...
  • That Guy: "Heard" is an overstatement, at least based on the one perfo...
  • grimoaldo: I noticed a couple of comments expressing surprise that toni...
  • kashania: Does that mean that Fleming will be semi-fake-acting?
  • grimoaldo: Siegfried will be Jay Hunter Morris who replaced the replace...

blog advertising is good for you

After the ball is over

i_had_a_ball[Castrati] “were notorious for their sexual adventures [and] presumably able to overcome liabilities like an underdeveloped penis and variable erectile function.” So, really, all things considered, maybe castration wasn’t so bad after all. [Failure Magazine]

It’s Done!

jake_gLa Cieca congratulates winner Stevey (not pictured) for his masterful curatorial efforts in the “Now That’s How It’s Done” challenge, and the DVD of the Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991: 25th Anniversary at Lincoln Center will soon wing its way Steveyward. Read more »

Orphée descending

orphee_amazonJuan Diego Flórez is without question a superstar of bel canto repertory, but the recent release of the recording of his role debut as Orphée in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice at the Teatro Real in Madrid raises some interesting questions. Among these questions, first and foremost is the nature of Orpheus, and whether Flórez has the vocal ability to portray a character as varied and dramatic as the musician of legend. While I can see a convincing argument for this being a great recording, there is something missing in Flórez’s interpretation to my ears that leaves the character incomplete and the drama unfortunately unfulfilled. Read more »

Read more »

Touch or go?

Mlle. La Taupe continues to report from San Francisco’s Die Walküre: “I  neglected to comment about the photos of the fallen heroes, posted upon the jungle gym-like structures on the Walkuerenstein. To be noted as they are photos of fallen soldiers in recent American wars. Pictures are shown by courtesy of and with permission from the families.” Your thoughts, cher public? (Photo by Cory Weaver)

Read more »

Read more »

Milestone in the making

Congratulations to Bill, who submitted comment number 125,000!

Read more »

Read more »

Retouch of Madness

In honor of all the gala things happening to Charles Busch this summer (including the 25th anniversary of his seminal play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and the Channel 13 telecast of the documentary The Lady in Question is Charles Busch), La Cieca is delighted to republish an interview the playwright/male actress granted to parterre box way back in those pre-millennial days of print.  [Touch of Madness]

Read more »

Read more »

Regie within reach

That trio of delicious candy-covered ladies tempted you to all sorts of wrong guesses, cher public, but nobody could figure out their relationship to each other, which would surely have given the game away. They’re cousins, you see, and the work in which they appear is Offenbach’s La Périchole as presented at the Komische Oper Berlin, directed by Nicolas Stemann.

Read more »

Read more »

Something for the birds

UPDATE: The results are in, and the topic for this afternoon’s chat session will be Maria Stuarda.  Please look after the jump for details.

Read more »