|
Thu, October 16, 2008 |
Last Updated: October 14,2008 5:03:25 pm
|
|
October 15th, 2008, By Phil Brown
David Cronenberg's Opera Adaptation Of The Fly Premieres In Paris
 Finally, rubber monsters singing opera. The NewsObviously someone was going to make an Opera out of The Fly. It was inevitable (sarcasm?). But if anyone is capable of pulling it off, it has got to be David Cronenberg. Behind the NewsA scientist creates a dangerous matter transporter and decides to use himself as the test subject. During the experiment a fly wonders into the machine and inadvertently becomes genetically fused with the scientist. At first this is unnoticeable, but then the scientist begins to gradually transform into a creature that is 50% man, 50% fly, and 150% monster. It's a story that all horror fans know as it was the subject of two terrific movies: Vincent Price's 1958 horror classic The Fly and David Cronenberg's arguably superior 1986 remake. It's exactly the type of story that would make a good opera…right? Well, it happened.
Apparently David Cronenberg's composer and long-time friend Howard Shore has been adamant about transforming this story into an opera ever since the pair completed work on their cinematic version of The Fly. Shore felt that the melodrama, spectacle, tragic love story, and simple plot would translate perfectly to an opera. Well, this year he finally managed to wear down the director and wrote a Fly opera for Cronenberg to direct. When the announcement was made everyone thought it was a joke, but the two friends and collaborators were very serious. Their creation premiered in Paris over the weekend. The setting of their opera was moved from 80s America, to a more idealized 1950s version of the country in honor of the original movie. However, the aids and disease subtext has been retained. It's certainly a bold experiment. Combining pop art horror imagery (even imagery rich with the symbolic resonance that has made Cronenberg's name) with a very traditional form of haute culture was bound to upset some people. It should come as no surprise that the often-venomous French critical community has not been kind to this project. Le Monde said that Shore's music "sounds like a piece of homework, clumsily orchestrated, from a moderately talented disciple of Arnold Schoenberg,"; Liberation said that the opera's "lack of expertise and imagination could hardly be emphasized in a crueler fashion"; and Le Figaro added that the opera confirmed "that cinema and theater, above all opera, are two very different arts." These are harsh words, particularly coming from a critical community who generally loves Cronenberg's work as a filmmaker. However, this should not come as a great surprise. There has hardly been a great deal of innovation in opera in a long time. People have certain expectations from the art from and they do not involve giant rubber monsters trying to eat their girlfriends. This project was never going to excite the traditional theatergoing establishment. From the beginning the prestigious Parisian Théâtre du Châtelet viewed The Fly as an experimental project that would draw new and younger audiences to the opera. On this level it has certainly succeeded. The seats for any given production of the fly are packed with late teens and twentysomethings sporting died black hair and Dawn Of The Dead T-shirts. They are people who never would have considered going to an opera otherwise and have generally enjoyed the show. So, if the goal was to expand the audience, then mission accomplished. Whether it appeals to your tastes or not, The Fly opera is certainly an intriguing concept. Nothing else has ever been made that is quite like it. Good or bad the play deserves to be seen. At the moment it certainly seems as though the French run of the play with be controversial and split audiences, but that's not the end of the theatrical run for the opera. In September, The Fly will move to Los Angeles, which will bring in an entirely different kind of audience and it should go over quite well. A town obsessed with movies, fast cars, and plastic surgery should be far less concerned about operatic traditions. Comments
Share & Bookmark |
Reader Comment…by JohnSmith1
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectet adipisci elit. Praesent molestie faucibus nisl donec convallis orci eu ipsum” |
You will be prompted to register or log in when posting.