Although the staging of the Met’s Saturday afternoon’s production of Salome will remain unchanged (i.e., Karita Mattila intends to jam out with her clam out) the HD cameras will demurely divert their lenses at the climactic moment of the Dance of the Seven Veils.  According to Culture Monster, instead of the Full Mattila, the video audience will see “something, well, much more restrained.”

“You’ll see the camera pan away from her as she does the dance,” a Met spokesman told Culture Monster. “Either it will pan discreetly away to the audience, or it will do a close-up of her face.”

The decision not to show the nudity came from Met general manager Peter Gelb, who, the spokesman said, “decided early on that the ‘Salome’ broadcast would not feature nudity.”

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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