Does Opera Have to Be “Realistically Cast”?

Fatemeh’s article on Verdi’s Aida in Racialicious today was very interesting.  She claimed that the recent Portland production was nothing but a Eurocentric/white-washed view of Egypt, because of costumes, choreography, etc.  She also mentioned that much of the cast was white, not black, even though the opera takes place in Egypt.  Well, this isn’t Porgy and Bess.  There’s no rule saying that the entire cast has to be black (the Gershwin estate has a clause where Porgy and Bess needs to be cast with black singers, which is why, for a long time, P&G wasn’t produced often).  In any case, does opera and even live theatre doesn’t always need to be played out “realistically,” IMHO.  There are some cases when it’s necessary, but I don’t think Aida falls into that category.  I’ve seen tons of Shakespearean plays where the characters’ costumes vary from “traditional” Renaissance era pieces or costumes that reflected the play’s setting (e.g. Roman costume for Julius Caesar) to later periods.  Should the production of Julius Caesar that featured Denzel Washington from a few years back be criticized because it takes in the twenty-first century (the characters were wearing suits and had cell phones)?  What about the Disney/Elton John version of Aida, where the Egyptians were all played by white (and perhaps one or two Asian) actors while Aida and the other slaves were black (on another note:  The Egyptians’ costumes in the Broadway production were really boring/plain, while the slaves’ costumes were very colourful…music contrasted too)? And unlike the Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer fiasco when just prior to Miss Saigon’s Broadway debut in ‘91, FEW PEOPLE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE “EGYPTIAN” CAST.  And why should people care?

Opera doesn’t have to be as realistic as even live theatre.  If it was, many singers would be extremely limited in terms of what they can audition for, even for a chorus role.  For example, someone who looked like me would basically be limited to basically Madama Butterfly and Turandot.  I saw a production of La Boheme a few years ago where the Mimi was Asian.  I guess Fatemeh wouldn’t like that, would she?  Nor would she have liked the fact that it took place in the 1950s rather than the 1830s (A production that takes place in the 1950s?  Might as well fast forward another 30-something years and call the production Rent, right?)

Cultural Lessons: Drama/Theatre

Going to live theatre was definitely part of my upbringing, especially after I was 8 or 9 years old.  If you include ballet, my first stage performance was The National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker, around Christmas 1987 or 1988 (I’ll do a post on dancing another day).  By my teens, I was going to at least two shows a year (I was a teen during the HEIGHT of British Theatre Invasion of Toronto (Cameron Mackintosh musicals)).  I saw shows such as Les Miserables, Showboat, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, etc, as well as plenty of trips to Stratford.  But when it came to actually being involved in the theatre/drama business (whether it be actor, director, producer or whatever….even if you tell people you want to be the next Ang Lee of the stage), it’s a definite no-no.  No wonder it’s so hard for Asians in this part of the world to be noticed in the film and theatre world!  If you don’t build it, no one will come!

This is what I don’t understand.  Why is it okay to play a musical instrument but not okay to be involved in theatre (with the exception of actually going, of course)?  Can’t theatre be seen as an accomplishment, just like playing piano or violin?  Why is acting, “less proper”?  Does it have to do with the historical connection with prostitution?  Can’t acting or directing be seen as a hobby just like classical music?  I did a double major in drama and history just so I wouldn’t look like I was a rebel.  And the drama part wasn’t even a BFA but a straight BA (Honours).

Boston Pizza Commercial Uses French Opera About Spain

If you’re from Canada, or at least the Toronto area, you might have heard the Boston Pizza commercial on the radio which uses the music of the Habanera (”L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”) to English words about a deal you can get at the restaurant.  My question is WHY?  The opera was written in French by a French composer, Georges Bizet and is set in Spain.  What does that have to do with North American style Italian food?  Do they really think that the general public is that stupid?  That we’d be fooled into believing that Opera=Italian?  I’m sorry, but that really bothers me.