# Strange operatic dream



## AlanPalgut (Apr 11, 2012)

I had a dream -- Crazy dream. I was at the opera watching _The Barber of Seville_ in a very bizarre form. Here is what happened:

The action was updated to the 1960's.
Fiorello, Count Almaviva's servant, looked like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and carried a wind-up flashlight instead of a lantern.
Three of the leads appeared as Mario characters in Act I: Almaviva as Luigi, with the matching mustache; Figaro as none other than Mario, also with his mustache; and Rosina as Princess Peach, complete with gloves and crown.
The musicians carried 60's protest signs that alluded to other composers who used the Figaro plays as their source.
During "Ecco ridente in cielo," the background comprised a psychedelic mixture of pink, purple and sky blue while Almaviva spun around and did the Russian kicking dance.
Figaro carried an electric guitar and played a harmonica just before he sang "Largo al factotum" and did the same break-dancing moves performed in the video for Dschinghis Khan's "Moskau."
During "Se il mio nome saper voi bramate," Figaro played a sitar as the left-handed Almaviva tried serenading Rosina.
Coins rained down on Figaro and Almaviva as they sang "All'idea di quel metallo."
Throughout "Una voce poco fa," Rosina did an "interpretive" ballet.
Bartolo looked like Doug Clifford from Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Basilio resembled Brian Jones.
Every time Bartolo sang a major song, he dropped something pink for no particular reason.
Bartolo resembled "Maggie's pa" in that he smoked a cigar and stuck it out in Almaviva's face just for kicks while he had a windowsill made, of course, out of bricks.
As he sang "La calunnia è un venticello," Basilio accompanied himself by playing a concertina.
Berta, who looked like Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, was constantly called "Marcellina," the name she goes under in _The Marriage of Figaro_, by every other character - including Bartolo and Basilio.
During "Dunque io son," Rosina served tea as Alice with Figaro as both the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.
Rosina constantly flung fruit in Bartolo's mouth and specifically at his face to annoy him as he sang "A un dottor de la mia sorte," but he continued to belt out the notes.
Almaviva should have entered Bartolo's house as a drunken soldier, but he entered instead as Led Zeppelin's drummer, John Bonham.
In Act II, Almaviva became Pete Townshend, this time disguising himself with Townshend's early 70's beard, and he bore a tattoo of the Rolling Stones' tongue-and-lips logo on his right cheek. Meanwhile, Rosina restyled her hair and became an exact lookalike of Sailor Moon, and Figaro shaved his mustache and became John Fogerty, also of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The other characters stayed exactly as they were in Act I.
In the "lesson scene," Rosina sang a big show stopper by performing, in order, "Contro un cor," the original piece performed; "La mia pace, la mia calma," which was first heard at the first revival in Bologna (the first time it was performed as _The Barber of Seville_); an Italian translation of "When You Wish Upon a Star," hardly matching the rhythm of the original; and, out of pure randomness, "Yesterday."
During the thunderstorm, the music that played was the thunderstorm music from the _William Tell_ overture.
As Almaviva sang "Ah, il più lieto," Rosina sang "Non più mesta" from _La Cenerentola_ because they are musically the same song.
When Bartolo arrived too late to the wedding, he wore a black suit with a white shirt, blue necktie and pink handkerchief.
The Act II finale, "Di sì felice innesto," was interrupted AT THE VERY BEGINNING by Signore Rossini, voiced by a baritone, who sang a little tune about how great his opera was.
Fiorello popped up briefly after his master got married and then got stampeded on by the rest of the cast, including Rossini, as a series of "credits" scrolled by.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

That's pretty wild. I had one with that Netrebko girl where,...oh, can't share.


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Just sounds like a regular English National Opera production to me! :lol:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Please don't tell Peter Sellars about this or we'll be seeing it next year.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> Please don't tell Peter Sellars about this or we'll be seeing it next year.


But I _want_ to see it next year! :lol:


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