The immortal Mae West, celebrated for her Dalila, had a curtain speech she recited following performances of her play Catherine Was Great: “I’m glad you like my Catherine. I like her too. She ruled thirty million people and had three thousand lovers. I do the best I can in two and a half hours.” Now it seems the NYCO’s Duchess of Argyll will have to make do with a mere 25 lovers  in the company’s production of Powder Her Face—instead of the originally planned 88. The reason: the stage at BAM is too intime to accomodate that many naked men. [Daily Mail]

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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