La Cieca was disappointed to hear the news that the New York City Opera next season will present only a few concert performances. Well, in point of fact, she’s surprised that they’re performing at all, but the real problem is that she already had a mental picture of an NYCO Antony and Cleopatra starring Teddy…
By La Cieca
on April 11, 2008 at 12:57 PM
36 comments
Definitive barihunk Nathan Gunn (center) will play Lancelot in a semistaged concert of Lerner and Loewe’s musical Camelot at Avery Fisher Hall May 7-10. Additional hunkiness will be provided by Gabriel Byrne (Arthur) and Marc Kudisch (Sir Lionel) and the diva quotient may be filled by Marin Mazzie as Guenevere. The New York Philharmonic presentation…
By La Cieca
on April 02, 2008 at 10:48 AM
The barihunk on the right is Jonathan Lasch, in character for The Rape of Lucretia. [via barihunks, naturally]
By La Cieca
on March 25, 2008 at 1:01 PM
As guessed so cleverly by Nerva, John and a couple of others, our previous Regie puzzler was in fact Gounod’s Faust, with barihunk Marian Pop as the mohawked Valentin. And now for another unusual take on a classic work. Can you guess the opera?
By La Cieca
on March 20, 2008 at 10:07 PM
Our Own Sanford reports from this afternoon’s National Council Grand Finals Concert at the Met. First things first: No hunkentenors, but Edward Parks is a barihunk, and Christopher Magiera is almost a barihunk. Now to the important stuff. There were nine singers in the final, and I would say that 10 of them deserved to…
By La Cieca
on February 24, 2008 at 9:22 PM
As a followup to Karita Mattila‘s banana-themed halftime show during Manon Lescaut, La Cieca salutes bass-baritone Paul Whelan. The Armani-clad singer credits a favorite potassium-rich fruit (sometimes called “nature’s amphetamine”) for his well-publicized “rescue” of the English National Opera’s recent Lucy of the Lammermoors (or whatever it is they call it in English). Of course,…
By La Cieca
on February 19, 2008 at 6:52 PM
As quite a few of the cher public surmised, the most recent Regiequiz depicted a production of Don Giovanni (at the Landestheater Linz, to be precise) featuring barihunk Martin Achrainer as the eponymous erotomaniac: Herr Achrainer has become something of a blogger’s darling of late, featured at Barihunks as well as Our Own site in…
By La Cieca
on February 12, 2008 at 12:47 PM
La Cieca’s spy L’Inconnu in the City of Brotherly Love (which, given the circumstances, she supposes she should specify is Philadelphia) whispers: La Cieca favorite Stephen Costello is one of the only worthwhile reasons to catch David DiChiera‘s new opera Cyrano premiering tomorrow night at the Opera Company of Philadelphia. The men truly led the…
By La Cieca
on February 07, 2008 at 2:40 PM
Oh, what more delightful headline can be imagined? Well, perhaps “Florida free-fall sends Giuliani from hero to zero” — that’s great news too. But back to important matters. Did La Cieca mention that for his current stint in Dead Man Walking The Teddster has shaved his head?
By La Cieca
on January 30, 2008 at 11:59 AM
La Cieca has Maury D’annato to thank for (passively) calling her attention to the blog The Opera Tattler, which in recent days has been detailing next season’s plans in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other opera companies of the Transhudson. (The) Opera Tattler also reviews a lot of West Coast opera, and at least so…
By La Cieca
on January 17, 2008 at 2:47 PM
A couple of photos of barihunk Simon Keenlyside in full leather… … from the Royal Opera House’s season brochure!
By La Cieca
on November 20, 2006 at 4:06 PM
UPDATE: Not surprisingly, the “Dirty Colin” site was taken down almost immediately. So, until the coveted tape emerges, here’s a little something to help you keep the thought: Colin Farrell on Bruce Willis. Here’s news that should delight all you Nathan Gunn fans. The long-awaited Colin Farrell sex video has finally been released, or (La…
By La Cieca
on January 10, 2006 at 6:35 PM
A double-header of Tony Tommasini delights this weekend in the Times. On Sunday, TT puts on his Captain Obvious hat to ask the musical question, “is it possible that [Nathan] Gunn‘s appearance has drawn attention away from his fine vocal artistry?” You’ll find that story right next to the photograph of Gunn with his shirt…
By La Cieca
on January 08, 2006 at 5:25 AM
“It’s not like there’s anyone who wants new operas to fail. In fact, audiences, critics, and opera companies alike have huge stakes in seeing new works succeed. And goodness knows the Metropolitan Opera, like any reputable opera company, has a responsibility to present recent compositions. However, reviews are not for good intentions; I have to…
By La Cieca
on December 23, 2005 at 6:32 PM
La Cieca has just heard that, following up on the resounding critical and popular success of Tobias Picker‘s An American Tragedy, the Metropolitan Opera has rushed into the pipeline a new piece by Jake Heggie, Brokeback Mountain, based on the short story by Annie Proulx, with a libretto by Terrence McNally. Current plans are to…
By La Cieca
on December 12, 2005 at 2:54 PM
Be sure to check back here on parterre.com at noon (17:00 GMT) tomorrow for the First Unnatural Acts of Opera Gala and Quiz, featuring performances by Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, Beverly Sills, Simon Keenlyside, David Daniels, Regine Crespin, Piero Cappuccilli, Regina Resnik, Diana Soviero and Eleanor Steber. (There will be some filth as well, but…
By La Cieca
on December 06, 2005 at 3:21 AM
Through her elaborate network of spies, moles and informants, La Cieca has managed to obtain a photo from Francesca Zambello‘s production of Tobias Picker‘s new American Tragedy, opening Friday night at the Met. For an advance sneak preview of the opera, click here.
By La Cieca
on December 02, 2005 at 3:47 AM
Today is the “birthday” of Billy Budd, the 54th anniversary of the premiere of the Benjamin Britten opera. To mark the occasion, the popular (?) podcast featurette “The Enigmas of La Cieca” goes international next week when a lucky listener to “Unnatural Acts of Opera” will win a pair of prime seats to the English…
By La Cieca
on December 01, 2005 at 3:16 PM
Cher public, those of you who have written to La Cieca wondering at the frequency Anthony Tommasini uses the word “strapping” to describe opera singers of the male persuasion — well, wonder no more. According to the New York Times archives, Tony has flogged his favorite modifer no fewer than 44 times in the past…
By La Cieca
on October 10, 2005 at 5:05 PM
At first glance, the photo from San Francisco Opera’s Billy Budd looks like any other opera featuring Nathan Gunn, i.e., pug nose in profile, chin a-jut, freshly waxed chest front and center. But on closer inspection, it turns out that Billy is getting a tweak from Mr. Squeak: “Warm as a sailor’s pants, gay as…
By La Cieca
on August 02, 2005 at 7:05 PM
