The Metropolitan Opera opened earlier this week with a new production of what is arguably the greatest Italian opera, Giuseppe Verdi's Otello.
The opera is based on Shakespeare's play, Othello the Moor of Venice. The bard's text was the basis for ArrigoBoito's Italian libretto, which condenses Shakespeare's plot has been called the greater achievement in literary circles. I'm not getting into that argument.
The popularity of the Met's Live in HD series makes a discussion of this new staging of Verdi's classic relevant outside of New York. Otello will be streamed live into move theaters October 10. The sets and costumes are brand new, but that's not the only reason the production will look different.
Shakespeare's play is subtitled The Moor of Venice. Boito's text refers to the title character more than once as il moro. Shakespeare's title character describes his own "dusky hue." For as long as I can remember, the few tenors with the vocal chops to conquer this great but miserably difficult role wore dark make up. No more.
This new production features Latvian tenor Aleksandr Antonenko in the title role. He has the chops and the imprimatur of conductor Riccardo Muti as an important contender. It was announced a couple of weeks ago that in consultation with stage director Bartlett Sher, late of the smashing new staging of The King and I at Lincoln Center, that the Met's new Otello would not wear dark makeup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTIxgFhCh6w
Worthy as he is, Mr. Antonenko lacks the box office clout to insist on much of anything. Placido Domingo , who can still pack in the paying costumers, graciously opined that he always wore dark makeup to play Otello, but that he admired Antonenko and looked forward to seeing this production. So do I.
It got some nice reviews, and Antonenko does some exciting singing. His Desdemona, Sonya Yoncheva is earning handstands in the press for her luscious voice. Interestingly, the great Leontyne Price never played Desdemona. Shirley Verrett did. I saw her, not in white face. Her stunning voice and her acting were the point. And in fairness, nobody refers to Desdemona as la bianca.
Is the lack of dark makeup on a character identified as 'dusky' or as a 'moor' the PC police run amok, or an acknowledgment of more sensisitve times that engender re-thinking? I don't know. I expect if Mr. Antonenko is an exciting, compelling Otello that I won't care what the hell he puts on his face.
