wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

By Carl J Ferrara, West Islip, NY

I actually concieved this idea as a project for students to workshop. The idea is to stage Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte in a modern-day high school. The story line lends itself well to a teenage mindset. Teenagers tend to play "love games" very naturally. Instead of pretending to go off to war, our heros will pretend to transfer to a different school. The wager continues as usual, ending in the couples going to the prom, rather than getting married.

Since this version would probably target a teenage audience, an english translation would be most appropriate, and in translating, necessary changes to the lines would be made.

The costuming would be, of course, modern teen dress. Alfonso would be a kind of young rebel, not very popular, but cool enough to have a reputation. Ferrando and Guglielmo would be the star football players, and very popular kids. This would naturally make Dorabella and Fiordiligi cheerleaders. Despina would be the type of girl who would hang out with Alfonso, as a work/study job, she assists in the nurse's office, which would come in handy for the scene where the boys pretend to take poison. Scenery would model a student lounge, or cafeteria.

Opera: Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress
Where: Hollywood, CA
When: 1990s

By Constance Holperin, Weehawken, NJ

Resetting Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress in the recent boom years of 1990s Hollywood would serve to illustrate the themes of wealth, fame and corruption which mark the W.H. Auden/Chester Kallman libretto as the finest and most universal of all 20th century operas.

With the modern corporate take-over of the movie industry and the cult of fame as a backdrop, the rise and fall of Tom Rakewell, poor, but not-so-honest grip, longing for fame and fortune, is a natural. He is easy prey for the evil publicist, Nick Shadow. Even with the pure devotion of Anne Truelove, a hard-working assistant costume designer, he cannot resist the lure of money and "Entertainment Tonight" recognition. Tom rejects Anne's father's offer of a technical apprentice position and at Shadow's instigation teams up instead with Baba the Turk, a "Madonna"-like star who has recently re-invented herself as a cross-dressing rapper.

Visits to Mother Goose's famous brothel where the girls all look like past movie stars is one more step down a slippery slope and Tom's failed business venture causes him to lose everything. Sellem, the E-Bay man, auctions off his possessions and he succombs to insanity. Only Anne's love keeps him from the fires of Hell and he ends his days in an HMO hospital where you have to bring your own nurse, Anne. I see heightened realism in the set, costumes, and lighting design for this cautionary tale; borrowing heavily from our own fantasy of Hollywood success.

Opera: Puccini's La Boheme
Where: Harlem Renaissance
When: 1920s

By Susan K. Miller, Brooklyn, NY

Imagine La Boheme set in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Although the characters of the opera, Mimi, Rodolfo, Musetta (names probably modified) et al., would be unknown, aspiring artists and writers, the characters of Duke Ellington, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Ma Rainey would be part of the fabric of the place.

Mimi would either be a singer or a poet from New York. Rudolfo, perhaps a writer or musician who came from the South, eager to experience and be part of New York. The combination of their youth and creativity along with the artistic blossoming of the Harlem Renaissance would be juxtaposed against a society that still had segregated sports, armed forces, schools (in the South), hotels, and restaurants even in New York. This would be dramatic and shed light on a vibrant time in American history that is too often overlooked and still unknown to many.

Struggling artists have a lot to contend with to keep believing in themselves, and racism and marginalization add to the burden of faith. I think this could be an exciting backdrop for the passion of La Boheme.