Blonde rage
On this day in 1974 Carol Channing opened on Broadway in Lorelei, a revision of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, in which she had headlined a quarter of a century earlier.
By La Cieca
On this day in 1961 the historic Metropolitan Opera debuts of Leontyne Price and Franco Corelli in Verdi’s Il trovatore.Happy 72nd birthday dancer and choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov.Birthday anniversary of composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756), Edouard Lalo (1823) and Jerome Kern (1885); baritone Hans Duhan (1890); conductor Joseph Rosenstock (1895) and soprano Ursula Schröder-Feinen (1936).
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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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.