Berlin — A leading opera house said it has cancelled a controversial production [of Mozart’s Idomene], citing authorities' fears it posed "incalculable" security risks because it featured the severed heads of Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad.
Dang trouble-making Buddhists.
2 comments:
Interestingly enough, Idomeneo played on CBC this weekend.
Now here is my question: So they invested all this money in an opera production, only to have it cancelled. Would it not have been easier to simply remove the severed heads from the stage? And if for some strange reason they were actually permanently fixed to the stage, could they not have merely disguised the heads with wigs and silly moustaches? Unless of course the offensive heads in question were as big as that giant skull in Mephistophele we saw.
I am also wondering what idiot set designer said let's use giant severed heads of Jesus et al. in our production of Idomeneo. Did he not realize it might cause resentment (without actually adding anything to the story)? What next? Hitler in The Barber of Seville? "Mi par d'esser con la testa. In un'orrida Hitler!" (sorry, I don't really expect anyone to know the tune to that quote, but I find it quite funny!)
JAW fan
Opera humour.
Talk about a niche market.
Post a Comment