CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Too big for La Bohème: svelte singers are the new shape of opera

The Independent: "Traditionally, it isn't over until the fat lady sings. But it seems it will soon be over for the singing fat lady. The stereotypical large woman in a horned helmet and braids belting out Wagner is preparing for her swansong as opera embraces a new, younger audience."

5 comments:

AllisonWeston said...

I have been expecting that the world's obsession with the physical image would spill over into opera. It makes sense for the performers on stage to look like the characters they are portraying. A skinny actor can fit into a fat suit but it is difficult for an audience member to believe a larger set ingenue. Perhaps this is a move to popularize opera by giving it a hipper new look and in my opinion a healthier one.

Anonymous said...

I think it's interesting that opera has become more about physical movement around the stage. I know very little about opera, but I would expect that people attend primarily to hear the music and the voices. Obviously you always have to pay attention to the aesthetic qualities of a performance, but I hope that emphasis does not become more prominent than the vocal performance.

Allegra Rege said...

I think that this new ideal is simply perposterous! The opera is 99% singing and like the article said "if they start casting beauty over talent then there will be trouble"! That is so true. It is already sad how our society already has that the thinner and prettier the better mindset for film but now opera? This art form has such a rich history that will be seriously sullied if this trend is allowed to continue and or increase.

Anonymous said...

After reading this article, I found Allison's comment really interesting.

Though the old opera mantra about the fat lady singing is no longer true, I find it a bit offensive to say that curvy opera singers do not present a healthy image of opera. In fact, the last thirty years of opera have seen women weighing between 130-170pounds which, though maybe not "hipper" than their smaller counter parts is actually far healthier. I think we need to be less judgemental physically and more ready to applaud any artist who can sing a high G in a corset, voluptuous or thin.

Sam Thompson said...

I don't agree with casting singers based on weight/figure at all, but I think that part of this is an attempt to make opera more of a complete entertainment experience in an effort to draw wider audiences. By casting singers who can not only sing, but move, dance, and perform, operas are turning towards a fuller theatricality. While this is not the opera of old, concerned entirely with the music, it is a more complete production. I do believe we are losing something by doing this, I can understand why this shift is occurring.