# Cast the characters of your favorite TV show into an opera!



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

silly thread idea, but should be fun


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Code Geass:

Lelouch li Britannia: Verdi baritone
Suzaku Kururugi: full lyric tenor 
C2: lyric mezzo 
Nunnally: mezzo soubrette
Kallen Kozaki: spinto soprano
Charles zi Britannia: high dramatic bass
Shirley Fenette: full lyric soprano
Milly Ashford: coloratura mezzo or soprano
Cornelia li Britannia: dramatic mezzo 
Euphemia li Britannia: lyric coloratura soprano
Jeremiah Gottwald: dramatic tenor
Toto: bass-baritone
Viletta: assoluta (she would be a very interesting character to cast! the singer would have to start out like a really butch mezzo and then realize she's actually a soprano).
Ohgi: spinto tenor
Mao: dramatic tenor

ironically, the voice actor for the main character is a clear tenor, but once you get a clear idea of his personality....Lelouch is no tenor role. he needs to be played by a baritone who can alternate between authoritative and more sinister.


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## russetvelvet (Oct 14, 2016)

Walter White: Verdi baritone
Jesse Pinkman: countertenor...


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Madam Secretary - dramatic soprano.
Her husband: Baritone


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

bumping this thread after awhile, but I've been watching the BBC adaption of Merlin and I'm stunned that there is no opera written about King Arthur 

going based on the show, I would cast the characters like this

*Merlin:* there are a lot of ways we could do this. the obvious choice would be the make him a tenor, but with Arthur already being the clear heroic tenor character, this would make them hard to blend. a baritone could not capture the youthfulness and naivete of younger Merlin, so....I'm honestly tempted to make him a mezzo trouser role  
*Arthur:* heldentenor
*Guinevere:* mezzo soubrette (still light and virginal, but casting her as a mezzo would give her the more earthy quality she displays in the show)
*Uther:* bass
*Morgana:* dramatic coloratura soprano. this role would require tremendous range. good Morgana from Seasons 1-2 would require more lyrical, youthful singing, like the type of voice who would sing Maria Stuarda. evil Morgana from seasons 3-5 would have be nastier, more like a Norma/Lady Macbeth type voice. 
*Gaius:* bass
*Mordred (young):* soprano trouser role
*Mordred (adult):* baritone 
*Morgause:* contralto


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> I'm stunned that there is no opera written about King Arthur


Chausson - Le roi Arthus.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Art Rock said:


> Chausson - Le roi Arthus.


oooo! Baritone and mezzo leads! I shall have to check this out!


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## Amara (Jan 12, 2012)

There is actually an opera called _Merlin_ from 1902 by Isaac Albéniz available on DVD.

As to your original post, I've thought about this for a while.

_Batman: The Animated Series_
Batman - baritone
Catwoman - mezzo
Joker - tenor
Harley Quinn - soprano
Poison Ivy - mezzo
Two-Face - baritone
Commissioner Gordon - tenor
Riddler - tenor
Alfred - tenor
Robin - mezzo
Batgirl - soprano
Nightwing - tenor
Talia - mezzo
Ra's - bass-baritone
Killer Croc - bass-baritone


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Amara;1359526 said:


> There is actually an opera called _Merlin_ from 1902 by Isaac Albéniz available on DVD.
> 
> As to your original post, I've thought about this for a while.
> 
> ...


It use to be on CD too,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...386001&creativeASIN=B00004W180&condition=used


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Gone With The Wind
Scarlet O'Hara: mezzo soprano
Rhett Butler: bass-baritone
Ashley Wilkes: tenor
Melanie Wilkes: soprano
Mammie: contralto

like if Don Giovanni and Carmen fell in love


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

The cast of the Big Bang Theory performing "The Marriage of Figaro"

Leonard - Figaro
Penny - Susanna
Sheldon - Count Almaviva
Amy - Countess Rosine
Raj - Cherubino
Howard - Doctor Bartolo
Bernadette - Marcellina


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

What a fun thread!

I'd pick the original version of "House of Cards" - The Ian Richardson set, not that stupid Spacey version. As as for the singers, who said they had to be living now?

As Urquart: Ramon Vinay OR Tito Gobbi

As Elizabeth (a Lady Macbeth character if there ever was one) Deborah Voigt OR Tatjana Seran 

As Stamper: John Mac Master


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## Metairie Road (Apr 30, 2014)

Olias said:


> The cast of the Big Bang Theory performing "The Marriage of Figaro"
> 
> Leonard - Figaro
> Penny - Susanna
> ...


The wimpy Leonard as Figaro? Good God no. They are complete opposites. Leonard as the hapless Cherubino would work better.

And Penny is the only character in the show with the personality (I wanted to use the word Balls here but I'd better not) to play Figaro.

Best wishes


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

How about Frasier?

Rodolfo - Niles
Mimi - Daphne (although I admit it's pretty difficult to see her as a consumptive!)
Marcello - Frasier
Musetta - Lilith
Benoît - Martin


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

aussiebushman said:


> What a fun thread!
> 
> I'd pick the original version of "House of Cards" - The Ian Richardson set, not that stupid Spacey version. n


I admire your taste, as the cannibal said to the missionary.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Black Panther:
T'challa: spinto tenor
Okoye: dramatic mezzo or contralto
N'Jadaka: high bass 
Nakia: lyric soprano
Claw: basso profundo

side characters:
T'Chaka: bass
Ramonda: dramatic mezzo
Everett: lyric tenor
W'Kabi: baritone
Shuri: soubrette
N'Jobu: baritone


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

*Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*

2012 TV show:

Leonardo: Heldentenor
Raphael: HeldenBariton
Michelangelo: spinto tenor
Donatello: baritenor
Splinter: bass
April: lyric soprano
Karai: dramatic soprano
Shredder: dramatic baritone
Leatherhead: light bass
Baxter Stockman: comical tenor (Mime)
Krang: baritenor

*IDW Comic characters*:

Hob: heldentenor
Koya: alto
Slash: baritone
Pete: tenor

I'm not a tv guy, and this was one of the TVshows that grabbed my attention some years ago. I prefer reading the comic books and of course *Usayi Yojimbo*. I had to cope with a lot of cringey moments, though, and I stopped watching after the 3rd season.


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## sharkeysnight (Oct 19, 2017)

From growing up watching BBC shows on PBS, Keeping Up Appearances, Fawlty Towers, and Are You Being Served would all make great comedic operas.

Keeping Up Appearances would obviously comment musically on "high" vs "low" music (in both opera and pop) - the sisters could all be contraltos, but Hyacinth forces herself to sing as if she weren't, while Rose embraces her voice lustily and Daisy sings with unselfconscious beauty. Violet perhaps could be played by a crystal-clear soprano, who's only heard once offstage, per the show's running gag. Naturally you could have the neighbors, who play piano, supply music for a (candle-lit) dinner scene, and the show itself is a bounty of comedic potential - plays that go wrong, hoity-toity luncheons that swerve towards calamity, vicars of dubious intent. The main question I'd have is whether Hyacinth could be redeemed by the end of it. I don't remember if the show itself ever concluded her arc as a character, as far as I know she continued being a prat forever, but it's appealing to consider a version where she learns a lesson and finds her natural voice.

Fawlty Towers would necessitate loads of spitfire patter numbers given how argumentative and hotheaded the characters are. Fawlty and Sybil could both have yelping voices, though they work in opposite directions during confrontation with others, with Basil moving up in register and staccato and Sybil turning sweeter and more cooing, which provides a pretty clear opportunity for a funny duet. Then you have Polly, the most level head in the show, who I like to imagine as having a clear voice that's not too high, and I think an interesting thing to do with Manuel would be to have him with a really beautiful sort of tenor voice that's only displayed in patches. He's mixed in during big multi-voice numbers, cut short when others are singing, or displaying what he's capable of when he thinks nobody's looking - singing while doing the dishes, for example, and then being insulted by Basil with a really ugly musical phrase.

I like the idea of Are You Being Served being a kind of constant-activity ensemble piece, perhaps staged in thrust or in the round to give the sense of all-consuming bustle. You might see different little bits of business depending on where you sit, for example. It could be a condensed day in the shop, opening with the cleaners running their vacuums, then with a promenade of complaints and excuses as the workers trickle in. You could have a flying patter piece with a panicked woman who needs a hat and effectively goes through the store's entire inventory, or a lover's duet where two newlyweds help each other pick out clothes and nauseate the staff. Much like Keeping Up Appearances, there are a million ideas from the show that could be run with, like Mr Humphries reading palms or the staff having to put up with CCTV cameras. The cast being a rainbow of voices is obvious, as is Mr Humphries having a high solo and Mr Peacock waxing with reminiscence about the glory days of war in a lovely rolling baritone, even as the lyrics make it increasingly clear that he never saw battle. Miss Brahms could have a number in which she adapts herself to different customers, which demonstrates her vocal and social flexibility, but as the number goes on and she gets worn out her phrasing becomes confused to comedic effect.


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

I can't really do that to Avatar: the Last Airbender since half the cast are kids/teens and it would be difficult to cast.

Legend of Korra Book 1, on the other hand... perfect opera material. Stupid love triangle! Great villains! Brothers as archenemies! Excellent duet opportunities for everyone! DRAMA!

Korra: contralto
Asami: lyric mezzo
Mako: spinto tenor
Bolin: lyric baritone 
Tenzin: bass-baritone 
Lin: dramatic mezzo
Amon: basso profondo
Tarrlok: Verdi baritone 
Hiroshi: bass-baritone 
The Lieutenant: basso cantante 


Korra would be crazy difficult because she has at least 4 arias. Amon has about 3 as well as intense duets with both the Lieutenant and Tarrlok. There is at least one quartet with Team Avatar where they sing about their awkward love triangle/rectangle. Lin sings an aria about how she still secretly loves Tenzin. Tarrlok gets a Wagnerian length monologue where he expositions the whole backstory.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Sieglinde said:


> I can't really do that to Avatar: the Last Airbender since half the cast are kids/teens and it would be difficult to cast.
> 
> Legend of Korra Book 1, on the other hand... perfect opera material. Stupid love triangle! Great villains! Brothers as archenemies! Excellent duet opportunities for everyone! DRAMA!
> 
> ...


the lead is a teenage girl....who is a _contralto_?


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Well, she's 17. If an 50+ white woman can play a 15 year old Japanese girl, Korra can be a contralto. XD


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Olias said:


> The cast of the Big Bang Theory performing "The Marriage of Figaro"
> 
> Leonard - Figaro
> Penny - Susanna
> ...


great one LOL LOL


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Sieglinde said:


> Well, she's 17. If an 50+ white woman can play a 15 year old Japanese girl, Korra can be a contralto. XD


Isn't it like this. 
Young girl - soprano
Young girls mother - mezzo soprano
The 200 year old great great ... grandmother - contralto


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Sieglinde said:


> Well, she's 17. If an 50+ white woman can play a 15 year old Japanese girl, Korra can be a contralto. XD


to be fair, I was a bass at 14. puberty hit me like a friggin tidal wave


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Billy Budd is about 18-20 years old and he's a baritone while Vere, about 40, is a tenor (this was for practical reasons but still). 


Olga is younger than Tatiana and she's a contralto.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Sieglinde said:


> Billy Budd is about 18-20 years old and he's a baritone while Vere, about 40, is a tenor (this was for practical reasons but still).


18-20 year old baritone isn't too unusual



> Olga is younger than Tatiana and she's a contralto.


I always thought this was strange tbh


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