A decision by the West Australia Opera company to drop Carmen because it features smoking has left its fans and Tony Abbott, the Australian prime minister, fuming about “political correctness gone crazy”.And – despite the cliché – he’s actually right.
“We care about the health and wellbeing of our staff, stage performers and all the opera lovers throughout WA, which means promoting health messages and not portraying any activities that could be seen to promote unhealthy behaviour,” Chard told the West Australian newspaper.I guess they won’t be putting on ‘Faust’ (dabbling in the occult) or ‘Cosi Fan Tutti’ (partner-swapping) either then?
The Aussie RNLI will cheer them for discouraging dangerous seagoing exploits by refusing to put on any productions of ‘The Flying Dutchman’ too.
10 comments:
I suppose it would be quite hard to write the cigarette factory out of the plot but there is doubtless a version on the drawing board in which Carmen works in a whole-food cooperative - unless, of course, the anti-racist lobby has a problem with the whole Gipsy thing.
You're right - clamp down on sexual promiscuity, violence and alcohol and that's pretty much every opera off the bill except 'HMS Pinafore'.
“We care about the health and wellbeing of our staff, stage performers and all the opera lovers..."
Ms Chard is either a PR genius or an ex plod of the 'educatid' variety.
Crocodile Dundee - ond other Aussie stereotypes who do exist will be spinning in their graves - if they've popped their clogs; or getting hammered in disbelief if they haven't yet.
Mind you, most of the aforementioned Antipodeans would view opera as "A load of whinging fat Sheilas screeching at some fat fairies".
Their (reasonably imagined) words, not mine - before I'm threatened with excommunication etc. by a load of 'outraged' Grauniad readers...
I'm hoping to catch this production of the Magic Flute before the Opera gets banned for rampant sexism.
Still, the Queen of the Night does get the best aria in the whole opera.
http://www.opera-arias.com/mozart/die-zauberfl%C3%B6te/der-h%C3%B6lle-rache/
"My heart is seething with hellish vengeance"
About how I feel when I see a lib/lab/con polition on telly.
Meds Melv ... NOW!
If a spate of regicide breaks out look for a local production of Macbeth.
On the other hand, I suspect that the most easily influenced in society aren't over represented in the average opera audience. (Plenty of other failings though.)
Alas Macheath, Pinafore will have to go as well - social services not be impressed by Little Buttercup's cack-handed "baby farming".
Macheath, I'm sure with all those sailors in HMS Pinafore there would an angle to objection, oh no wrong, I forgot in this age of enlightenment that's all onside !
@Joe Porter - 'Pinafore' actually sprang to mind because 'baby farming' is now the order of the day, thanks to tax-free childcare and government policies designed to get mothers back into the workplace.
Buttercup may have slipped up on the paperwork - social services wouldn't be impressed - but her former occupation is a growth industry in today's Britain.
"..but there is doubtless a version on the drawing board in which Carmen works in a whole-food cooperative..."
Heh! Guardian-approved opera...
*shudders*
"Still, the Queen of the Night does get the best aria in the whole opera."
Oh, yes!
"On the other hand, I suspect that the most easily influenced in society aren't over represented in the average opera audience. "
Good point.
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