Member of the cher public Harold informs La Cieca, “The singing is good but the intermissions are too fucking long. The pause was longer than the last scene and the intermission longer than Act 2. I’ll be damned if I’m going to come back for 2 40-minute intermissions and a 10 minute scene change surrounded by a little bit of Verdi. Bring back Joe Volpe!”
“Stiffelio” dress: first report
By La Cieca 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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Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
