A little more on the Rufus Wainwright opera
La Cieca, the indomitable voice of the entertaining, ever-so-bitchy blog Parterre Box, makes an astute comment about Prima Donna, the first opera by moody-voiced singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright:
A piece like 'Prima Donna' is exactly the sort of thing (or at least one sort of thing) that the New York City Opera ought to be offering. It would sell like crazy, foster the most intense debate both online and in the meat universe, and just generally be scandalous.
That the leading role seems to have ...
'Lauren Flanigan' written on it in letters of fire doesn’t hurt either. Lauren as an insane camp opera singer? That’s what Ethan Mordden calls 'Gable as Rhett casting.'
Given how little (so far) outright bashing from the press Prima Donna has generated, it seems that the piece may well have legs and could certainly be a box office boon in several places. Hmmm. Maybe one of the existing or planned operatic troupes in Baltimore will take the risk. We could use some "intense debate" and scandal.
