Word: aida
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...somber judgment scene from Aida unfolds. Portraying the Egyptian princess Amneris is a singer identified in the program as "Carmelita Della Vaca- Browne," a burly Puerto Rican ex-soprano whose voice (since she gave birth to triplets) has darkened to a take-no-prisoners mezzo. In the role of the doomed warrior Radames, all-American tenor "Tex Stolto" can't seem to resist handing out 8-by-10 glossies of himself. And as Ramfis, the high priest, Russian bass "Boris Pistoff" doffs his headdress to reveal himself as a Conehead...
...This is Aida? Well, yes -- as staged by a New York-based all-male company called La Gran Scena. This rare -- and rarefied -- troupe recognizes that opera thrives on the tension between the sublime and the silly. After all, when a 200-lb. soprano trips down the castle steps trilling like a 1-lb. canary in the mad scene in Lucia di Lammermoor, should one weep at her character's insanity or howl at the absurdity? La Gran Scena's answer is: both. As they see it, loving opera and laughing at it are one and the same thing...
...Walker '94, BSA historian, 1992-94, Elizabeth A. Kirby '94, BSA secretary, 1992-93, Ouzama N. Nicholson '94, Harvard Foundation Student Advisory Committee co-chair, 1992-93, Lisa D. Ellis '94-'95, African-American Cultural Council co-chair, 1992-93, Alison E. McKenzie '94, AACC co-chair, 1992-93, Aida Bekele '94, HFSAC co-chair...
...vast promotion campaign has already started. The idea, says impresario Tibor Rudas, a specialist in mammoth outdoor attractions, is to reach beyond opera buffs to people "who wouldn't know whether Aida is a spaghetti or a swear word." Commercials that ran during soccer matches on cable TV's ESPN started the hype. A music video that will air around the world shows the singers gleefully kicking around a soccer ball and singing what the backers hope will be the new Nessun dorma: the brindisi, or drinking song, from Verdi's La Traviata. (The promoters have not forgotten their prize...
...freshness. Stephen Rea also makes an all too brief appearance as Angie's new boyfriend Novel. Rea's irreverent spirit matches Davis' scenes together, with their bantering camaraderie flowing naturally, are some of the best moments "Angie" has to offer. As Angie's best friend Tina, Aida Turturro at first only barely escapes becoming a Rosie O'Donnell clone; yet as the film progresses she develops a distinct voice that serves as a nice contrast to Angie...