Why Size DOES Matter In Opera!

If you're waiting on the fat lady to sing, you might be waiting awhile now. As a kid growing up, I used to always see the typical stereotypical view of opera: Brunhilda with horns and fatrolls and a spear. This comes from the old era of "Park and Bark" where singers used to stand and sing in "staged" shows and it didn't matter what the character looked like as long as they sang well. The better they were, the more people could forgive them not being the most attractive whale in the sea.

The times they are a'changin. Recently, famous singers have had roles taken from them because of their weight. Opera used to be about the music. That was the difference between opera and Musical Theater. Opera focused more on music, while MT focused on theatrics and acting. Before it was OK if a 400 lb bruiser was playing the part of Carmen. As she sang the Habanera, every man in the scene is passionately falling for her. Her arm fat would jiggle gracefully as she caressed the men she would successfully drive mad. More to love I guess.

Of late, this has changed however. We can thank Hollywood and Musical Theater for that. Opera seems to be a dying art these days and in order to keep up, they have been adding more theatrics and casting people based on both looks and ability. Now, the best voice may not always win out as it would have in the past.

I find this both good and bad. Good in that it is bringing a younger fan base to opera that might not have otherwise showed up due to their affinity for special effects, short attention spans, and pure sex drives. It is bad in that it has gotten away from what opera was originally meant to be... the telling of a story through music. If a Big n Beautiful Diva can tell these great stories with her voice, then that is what's important. Who cares if she weighs more than the two men fighting over her in the story (put together). It's a musical art form, and anyone who doesn't understand this needs to listen to Pavarotti sing "Nessun Dorma" once and hear the passion in his voice. No one seems to care that he was a huge man.

All I'm saying is that unless opera goes back to its roots, we'll all be waiting on the fat lady for a long time, and a lot of times, the big girls are exactly what we need in art, and in life.

See more from Jim Valentino at http://www.myspace.com/jimmy_val

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