Fortune’s fool
Have you heard the most recent update on the Franco Zeffirelli outburst earlier this week at the Rome Opera?
By
La Cieca
Have you heard the most recent update on the Franco Zeffirelli outburst earlier this week at the Rome Opera? In describing the apocryphal production of Traviata at Hamburg or wherever it was supposed to be (the one with the bidet, remember?) the legendary Romeo and Juliet director also said he saw upon the stage “”transessuali e froci.”
“Froci,” as perhaps you know, means “fags.” This last slur was not reported in the Corriere della Sera.
An audio document of the fateful Q&A.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysHS95FoAyE
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.
