September 27, 2006--Knuckleheads

The Deutsche Oper in Berlin announced it was dropping the opera Idomenoe from its fall schedule because it might present an “incalculable risk” to the performers and the audience. Usually the only risks associated with an opera are concerns about a wardrobe malfunction when some Wagnerian soprano reaches for an extra high note or a camel parading across the stage during Aida stops to relieve itself. So what’s at risk at the Deutsche Oper?

It seems that the director added a scene that is not a part of the original 1781 production—in the current version he added a tableau in which a character carries the severed head of the Prophet Mohammed. (See NY Times front page article attached below.)

Thus the concern about putting the performers and audience at risk. Recall what happened recently when a Dutch newspaper published cartoons that many Islamic people felt defamed Mohammed—just by representing him. What might happen, then, if this opera were put on the boards in a country where there are upwards of 10 million Islamic people living in conditions that make many of them feel unwelcome? Nothing good, I imagine.

But then of course there is the outcry about not allowing “those people” to scare us, much less thwart our cherished freedom of expression. It doesn’t ameliorate the situation in this version by having Idomenoe, the King of Crete, also carry the heads of Buddha, Poseidon, and Jesus, even though none of them, including the Prophet, had yet to be born at the time in which the opera was set. Artistic freedom, I suppose.

And while I’m ragging about this, how come Idomenoe wasn’t also toting the severed head of, say, Moses? How naïve of me—this is of course all taking place in Germany.

Still on the opera front, there was last night’s opening at the Metropolitan Opera. Launching it was the film director Anthony Minghella’s new, widely-publicized version of Madama Butterfly. Minghella, late of the turgid Cold Mountain and English Patient.

What was the Met thinking when hiring him to take on this new production? Concerned that the audience for opera has become decidedly geriatric and worried about who can or would be willing to pay $300 per ticket to see their repertoire of stale productions, the Met obviously went for star power. And it worked. At least for last night--the Times reports that the gala opening was “star-studded.” Though unlike Entertainment Tonight they restrained themselves from listing just which "stars" were in attendance. I leave that to your imagination. (See second Times article also below.)

They though did spend truly the first third of the review reviewing the audience’s reactions to the new production, particularly to Mr. Minghella’s “innovative” use of a puppet during the second act. Instead of the “real child” who traditionally appears with Cio-Cio-San, he used “a small puppet boy [in a sailor suit] manipulated by three puppeteers cloaked in black who stand behind him [sic]. The child [sic] moves with eerily human gestures [there are three puppeteers for God’s sake!], and his [sic] bald head has a wizened, hopeful yet anxious look.”

In the men’s room or lobby during the intermission, the Times’ reviewer quotes one patron as saying, “It was more real than any real child they could have had.”

Bravo, I say! Encore! And to the folks back at the Deutsche Oper I say, “Hang tough!” Actually, maybe I can phrase that somewhat differently.