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Opera Casting Choice Question?
I was watching on opera on TV. The protagonist character is a woman in her early 20's.
The singer who performed the role was pushing age 50 and looked every year of it. I could not get into this because her performance seemed far from authentic. Her singing was lovely and more than competent. But she could overcome the age gap.
What is up with casting someone that old who was nowhere near to be pulling it off as a character half her age? Isn't there someone younger who can perform that role?
1 Answer
- ?Lv 75 years agoFavourite answer
Almost certainly not. Her voice is probably at its best. Considering that opera is one of the least realistic art-forms (everyone *sings*) it would be ridiculous to cast someone on looks and not on vocal ability.
For instance, the chances of finding a fifteen year old Japanese soprano who could sing the lead in Madam Butterfly at all, never mind as well as a singer three times her age are infinitesimal. So unless you want to see a young girl miming while the diva sings off-stage you will have to put up with the kind of casting you don't get in other art forms.