As a followup to Karita Mattila‘s banana-themed halftime show during Manon Lescaut, La Cieca salutes bass-baritone Paul Whelan. The Armani-clad singer credits a favorite potassium-rich fruit (sometimes called “nature’s amphetamine”) for his well-publicized “rescue” of the English National Opera’s recent Lucy of the Lammermoors (or whatever it is they call it in English). Of course, La Cieca finds it a bit odd that the ENO didn’t have an official cover on hand, or that the bass-barihunk, scheduled to go on in this production in just a couple of weeks, hasn’t started rehearsing yet.

But enough quibbling; La Cieca prefers simply to listen to Mr. Whelan’s rich bass-baritone. Or, even better, to his New Zealand twang intoning those fascinating words, “I went and ate a banana, got my brain together and just walked on and did it.”