Liza’s main man Paulo Szot has some interesting and rather bold (if La Cieca may say so) opinions about the character of Leporello in today’s New York Times: “Don Giovanni needs him for everything: butt sex, to give him food, to give him drink, to share his feelings with.” (The article, fetchingly entitled “The Great Mozart Switcheroo,” poses the probing question, “So which, in the end, is the better part?”)
Our Own JJ is shown here “wrangling” the dancers for his friend Dorothy Bishop‘s cabaret show last night at Splash. There were supposed to be only two dancers, which is more than enough to fill the very small Splash window ledge of a stage. But three showed up: E.J., Alain and Michele.
La Bishop is off to South America for a month-long tour now, so JJ can get back to his more important task of producing La Cieca’s podcasts. Keep an eye out this weekend for another of the Great Pirates of History series on Unnatural Acts of Opera!
“Gypsy camp! Almost a dance outright! Sweaty musclemen! Rhythmically coordinated swings! Throbbing … impetuous … distinctive … alluring … dusky … creamy … robust … restless … full of yearning … hard-edged!” [After Dark NYT]
“Anthony Tommasini, the chief classical music critic of The New York Times, is answering questions from readers Feb. 9-13, 2009. Questions may be e-mailed to askthetimes@nytimes.com.” [NYT]
A new spy debuts in La Cieca’s service, reporting from the first night of WNO’s Lucrezia Borgia: Overall, I thought the opera was worth the price of attendance. The costumes of the main characters looked like something from Star Trek. Renée Fleming‘s hair looked like Tina Turner circa 1984. Fleming was impressive, especially in many of the difficult runs… However, some simple spoken Italian phrases come out almost intelligible. (Once again, I know a lot more about Italian than the mysteries of the voice.) The Gennaro/Maffio make out scene was a bit vulgar. I think it the whole homoerotic thing would [...]
“There is nothing like young performers to refresh older pieces.” [NYT]
“When Mr. Tetzlaff emerged on the scene in his early 20s (still trim, boyish and energetic at 42, he does not look much older)…” [NYT]
Need you ask who discusses the subject of nudity in opera (among other performing arts) in today’s Times? [W]hen nudity seems called for and natural, it can lend disarming humanity to a drama. There was, for example, Richard Greenberg’s “Take Me Out,†at the Public Theater in 2002, about a superstar baseball player who reveals that he is gay. The play could not have explored how the interpersonal dynamics of baseball’s locker-room culture are shaken by the star’s announcement without showing the players in the clubhouse showers. . . . . Already in previews at the Broadhurst Theater on Broadway [...]
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