I was wide-eyed with surprise, when I heard an opera was being made out of "The Hours." I loved the 2002 film--thought it should have won Best Picture--and saw it three times. It surpassed, by casting and great filmmaking, Michael Cunningham's novel, which never should have won the Pulitzer Prize, as, I still maintain, it reads little more than as a graduate student's submission in a Creative Writing program to write a novel in the style of Virginia Woolf. My feeling is, if one wants to read Virginia Woolf, then read her, not some ersatz imitator.
Nevertheless, the idea of this story sung through, and put on the stage, raises some potential. And the cast--oh, my God! Opera and Theater Queens will be clawing each other for tickets. I guarantee it is going to get very nasty out there, on Lincoln Plaza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Renee Fleming is playing Clarissa Vaughan, the Meryl Streep role, and I cannot wait to see what she does with that. Kelli O'Hara, making her MET debut, is taking on Laura Brown, the Julianne Moore role, and great things are expected of her. Joyce Di Donato, who I am not familiar with, is playing Virginia Woof, the role Nicole Kidman won for, and she may even be using her own nose! Sylvia D'Eramo is playing both Kitty, the Toni Collette role, and Vanessa, sister of Virginia Woolf. Sean Panikkar is playing Leonard Woolf, Virginia's spouse, and Kyle Ketelsen is playing the Ed Harris role of Richard.
No wonder this is the hot ticket of the season! I am not even an Opera Queen, and I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But don't dare get in my way, buying tickets.
Because the only thing more vicious than an Opera Queen is a Theater Queen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Add to that, I am The Raving Queen! So, look out!
But wasn’t there an opera called “Mrs. Dalloway” in the nineties
ReplyDeletemichael and david hello just to let you know the hours will be part of the hd series that plays in theatres i know i can go right toclifton and see it in the amc something to keep in mind if it sells out dtay well norman
ReplyDeleteVictoria,
ReplyDeleteI believe there was an opera of "Mrs. Dalloway."
My guess is it was not a big hit.
Norman,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for letting us know. I
imagine it will be a Fathom event, and
play at Union Square on West 14th Street.
That is where we will probably set.
You’re right it was not a hit; I cannot find much of anything about it.
ReplyDeleteWas 1993.
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteThat was almost 30 years ago!
How time goes by.
Doesn’t it though?!!
ReplyDeleteThe nineties, to me, feel like a “few” years ago
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteSame here. Or I can't remember and
say it was only 10 or 15 years ago.