Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:38pm
Why not just cast a black opera singer? There's no excuse for the use of black - face or yellow - face or any sort of make up to someone look like another race.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:39pm
Please, please forgive my ignorance, but I just want to make sure- blackface (which is racially insensitive) is different from period piece usage of skin-altering practices (as in old Gershwin shows that had minstrel scenes)?
If both are offensive, how do modern productions of the period musicals typically stage minstrel show numbers?
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:39pm
"Why not just cast a black opera singer? There's no excuse for the use of black - face or yellow - face or any sort of make up to someone look like another race."
What if one wants to stage an opera about John Boehner? Must the tan be genuine?
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:41pm
"it will have done so as a marginally more progressive institution than it was"
That was probably one of the stupider comments on this thread. Opera, led by the Met, had color blind casting decades before the backwards world of Broadway ever considered doing it. In the 1960's interracial couples on the stage was the norm, Broadway wouldn't get that way until much later.
Casting for the lead role in Verdi's Otello is hard, but at a large house like the Met, it's damn impossible. Only a handful has ever sung the role at the MET and Domingo was the last one who did it successfully. I have no more problem seeing Placido Domingo do Otello than I do seeing Lawrence Brownlee singing his roles at the MET.
Updated On: 8/5/15 at 04:41 PM
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:42pm
""it will have done so as a marginally more progressive institution than it was"
That was probably one of the stupider comments on this thread. Opera, led by the Met, had color blind casting decades before the backwards world of Broadway ever considered doing it. In the 1960's interracial couples on the stage was the norm, Broadway wouldn't get that way until much later.
Casting for the lead role in Verdi's Otello is hard, but at a large house like the Met, it's damn impossible. Only a handful has ever sung the role and Domingo was the last one who did it successfully. I have no more problem seeing Placido Domingo do Otello than I do seeing Lawrence Brownlee singing his roles at the MET."
I think you misunderstood my intention.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:42pm
"Why not just cast a black opera singer? There's no excuse for the use of black - face or yellow - face or any sort of make up to someone look like another race."
THIS.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:55pm
"Please, please forgive my ignorance, but I just want to make sure- blackface (which is racially insensitive) is different from period piece usage of skin-altering practices (as in old Gershwin shows that had minstrel scenes)?
If both are offensive, how do modern productions of the period musicals typically stage minstrel show numbers?"
they typically cut those things out today. Wasn't it in the revival of Finians Rainbow theres a role thats played by 2 people; one white and one black?
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:58pm
""it will have done so as a marginally more progressive institution than it was"
That was probably one of the stupider comments on this thread. Opera, led by the Met, had color blind casting decades before the backwards world of Broadway ever considered doing it. In the 1960's interracial couples on the stage was the norm, Broadway wouldn't get that way until much later.
Casting for the lead role in Verdi's Otello is hard, but at a large house like the Met, it's damn impossible. Only a handful has ever sung the role at the MET and Domingo was the last one who did it successfully. I have no more problem seeing Placido Domingo do Otello than I do seeing Lawrence Brownlee singing his roles at the MET."
this is true, and i think it was that way because opera came before musicals obviously, but I think there also came a point when opera also stopped progressing (e.g. still using blackface, stopped writing as many new works etc)
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:02pm
What's hilarious to me is that opera productions, specifically at the Met, are by and large more technologically advanced than what you see on Broadway, yet somehow ceasing using black face is a new found concept.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:05pm
"What's hilarious to me is that opera productions, specifically at the Met, are by and large more technologically advanced than what you see on Broadway, yet somehow ceasing using black face is a new found concept."
This is not necessarily a good thing for the Met. Gelb has flushed tens of millions of dollars down the toilet on wastefully extravagant productions that flopped (Ring Cycle, anyone?). Opera is almost never profitable, I understand that, but he burned through a huge chunk of the endowment. Now he's on a mission to 'reinvent' opera, and I'm guessing this is part of it. It's a change that should have been made many years ago, though.
Updated On: 8/5/15 at 05:05 PM
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:07pm
Trust me when I tell you, I know all too well what you're talking about.
ETA- And I was being sarcastic, trying to point out the sheer idiocy of the directional focus at the Met on tech and other matters while almost pointedly avoiding dealing with more serious issues both artistically and financially.
Updated On: 8/5/15 at 05:07 PM
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:16pm
I love the Met, I'm going to four operas next year (not Otello, though), but it's important to acknowledge its many problems.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:35pm
"Trust me when I tell you, I know all too well what you're talking about.
ETA- And I was being sarcastic, trying to point out the sheer idiocy of the directional focus at the Met on tech and other matters while almost pointedly avoiding dealing with more serious issues both artistically and financially."
well Bart Sher is a good fit for them! Women on the Verge, Bridges of Madison County anyone?
Met is able to do big things because they are loaded with money. I wish producers could produce more on broadway for bigger and better everything!
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:46pm
Ado, blackface is any makeup worn that darkens the skin to attempt to show someone as being African American. So minstrel shows used to use blackface, but also those old musicals used blackface, and so did Burt Williams, a famous African-American clown.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:48pm
opera houses are way bigger than broadway houses so naturally they are gonna have more people on stage and bigger everything. Broadway musicals for the most part are very large as well
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:49pm
well lincoln center sure as hell is lol
Posted: 8/5/15 at 5:56pm
I'm sorry but Phillypinto should unquestionably be banned for his horrible comments.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 6:01pm
""Trust me when I tell you, I know all too well what you're talking about.
ETA- And I was being sarcastic, trying to point out the sheer idiocy of the directional focus at the Met on tech and other matters while almost pointedly avoiding dealing with more serious issues both artistically and financially."
well Bart Sher is a good fit for them! Women on the Verge, Bridges of Madison County anyone?
Met is able to do big things because they are loaded with money. I wish producers could produce more on broadway for bigger and better everything!"
Don't mistake the beauty of the opera house for the financial stability of the opera company. Ticket sales perhaps cover 1/3 of their total operating costs. They rely heavily on donations, which in recent years have not been keeping up. They will have no choice but to cut production costs in the next few years because their employees aren't going to accept many more pay cuts. If they don't find a way to do this, it may well be the end of the Metropolitan Opera Company. There aren't many people who have the resources to bail them out–––at least not in a way that would ensure its future. In fact, I can only think of David Koch.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 6:02pm
This would sure mean more if they also weren't going to have a white singer doing the role.
Whenever people are like BUT NO BLACK ACTORS/SINGERS CAN DO IT I'm like, one, **** you when's the last time you held auditions calling for them, and two, maybe you shouldn't do ****ing Othello then.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 6:36pm
"This would sure mean more if they also weren't going to have a white singer doing the role.
Whenever people are like BUT NO BLACK ACTORS/SINGERS CAN DO IT I'm like, one, **** you when's the last time you held auditions calling for them, and two, maybe you shouldn't do ****ing Othello then."
LOL you clearly have no idea how the opera works.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 6:37pm
"I'm sorry but Phillypinto should unquestionably be banned for his horrible comments."
what horrible comments?
Posted: 8/5/15 at 6:43pm
They will have no choice but to cut production costs in the next few years because their employees aren't going to accept many more pay cuts. If they don't find a way to do this, it may well be the end of the Metropolitan Opera Company. There aren't many people who have the resources to bail them out–––at least not in a way that would ensure its future. In fact, I can only think of David Koch. "
People have been saying this for years now, as they have been saying broadway is going down. blow it out your ass.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 6:45pm
" They will have no choice but to cut production costs in the next few years because their employees aren't going to accept many more pay cuts. If they don't find a way to do this, it may well be the end of the Metropolitan Opera Company. There aren't many people who have the resources to bail them out–––at least not in a way that would ensure its future. In fact, I can only think of David Koch. "
People have been saying this for years now, as they have been saying broadway is going down. blow it out your ass."
1) "Broadway" is not a single organization. Do you even know anyone who works at the Met? They came pretty darn close to a lockout last year.
2) "blow it our your ass"." Why are you being rude?
Updated On: 8/5/15 at 06:45 PM
