Will Joe Volpe's last season as Met general manager and high emperor end with some gala curtain call fracas? (You bet Sieglinde's getting front row seats for this one.) From across the ocean, there's new development regarding the controversy over at the fiery cauldron of the English National Opera. Apparently, disgruntled house employees are enough to cause a major scene at curtain calls to shame an outgoing leader. The perp has now apologized. Well, Sieglinde's not saying she knows of similarly disgruntled rank-and-files at the Met, but let's just say that even John Paul II (soon to be Saint) had his boo'ers from within his own cult clergy. And we're not even speaking about private citizens with opinions. It shall be a wild gala (worthy of smuggling camcorders in, I tell you).Opera boss boos colleague on stage [AP]
ENO chief follows up boos with apology [Guardian]
In other ENO news, guess what David Pountney, ENO elder, is referring to in this quote: "_____ (is/are) a celluloid condom inserted between the audience and the immediate gratification of understanding." (The English are so proper!) Is it:
(a) Mr. & Mrs. Smith (starring Savior of Africa Brad Pitt)
(b) The Fellowship of the Sith at Azkaban
(c) Trojan's new celluloid condoms (ultra-sensitive, now comes in petite-- a hit in London, apparently)
(d) Renée Fleming's new CD Haunted Heart (a.k.a. "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better")
(e) Deep Throat, the Sequel (starring Sieglinde Lovelace)
Get answer here. (And learn about bomb threats from director Graham Vick, known worldwide as premier expert on bombs.)