Finally, after all these months, La Cieca begins to understand the ways of Fthà in arranging the universe so that Francesca Zambello would be chosen new honcho (honcha?) of the Glimmerglass Festival. At first it seemed this turn of events was to transpire only so that dear  ‘Cesca could stage half-baked feminist rewrites of Annie…

on July 08, 2010 at 5:48 PM

“Ms. Zambello’s production has plenty of 3-D-friendly texture. The opening scene includes women standing next to a trough of water, dipping their hair in and flinging it back, spraying the stage with water. A real donkey, chicken and black stallion appear. Two acrobats dance and flip across the stage. Confetti flies and ribbons wave. Cast…

on June 25, 2010 at 10:36 AM

Mlle. La Taupe continues to report from San Francisco’s Die Walküre: “I  neglected to comment about the photos of the fallen heroes, posted upon the jungle gym-like structures on the Walkuerenstein. To be noted as they are photos of fallen soldiers in recent American wars. Pictures are shown by courtesy of and with permission from…

on June 21, 2010 at 11:30 PM

Take a Wild Ride with a Valkyrie!! Yes, that’s what all the signs say around Old Baghdad-by-the-Bay…. So, fasten your seatbelts, y’all, it’s going to be a bumpy night! As it turned out, Die Walküre was an unexpectedly wonderful ride, marking the debut of someone who could be a very important new Brünnhilde, Nina Stemme.…

on June 11, 2010 at 1:34 PM

“If [Francesca] Zambello were a composer, she would surely be Meyerbeer.” [MusicWeb International]

on June 11, 2010 at 8:04 AM

Congratulate yourselves, cher public, as another parterre turn of phrase has entered the general lexicon.  

on April 25, 2010 at 11:32 AM

As La Cieca indicated previously, Francesca Zambello (center) is going to add the notch of General and Artistic Director of Glimmerglass Opera to her already bulging belt. [NYT] 

on March 11, 2010 at 7:31 PM

“Important warning: Covent Garden is marketing this as a family show for Christmas, but please don’t think of taking the children – they’ll be bored rigid and never want to go anywhere near an opera again.” With The Tsarina’s Slippers Francesca Zambello‘s nonstop string of successes just keeps on stringing along! [Telegraph]

on November 23, 2009 at 6:25 PM

[Variety]

on November 11, 2009 at 7:13 PM

Francesca Zambello (center), universally critically slammed for her production of The Little Mermaid, has been tapped as director of yet another musical, as if Little House on the Prairie and Rebecca are not enough to keep her busy.  She’s helming First Wives’ Club for a July opening at the Old Globe Theatre in Baltimore San…

on June 01, 2009 at 6:38 PM