As you may know, the Metropolitan Opera opened its new season last week with a new production of the classic Puccini favorite Tosca. The new set and conception of this opera was directed by Luc Bondy, and the tried and true 25-year-old version by Franco Zeffirelli was eradicated. Although the audience staunchly applauded and cheered for the singers, they vehemently booed and jeered the director. By doing so, they put the general manager of the Met, Peter Gelb, on the defensive.
As Mr. Gelb so eloquently put it, he has rejected the traditional model of a singer who can just "park and bark". In order to make opera a viable, economically feasible art form, he lined up singers who can act, move and sing a role, pursued avant-garde directors from plays and movies as directors of new works, and used new technology to make opera a cool and exciting entertainment. I chuckled when I first heard his phrase "park and bark" since it reminded me of a pet salon or a doggie daycare center. The age of the lumbering, overweight singer with the shimmering voice is officially over.
That reminded me of the old, familiar expression, "The OPERA ain't over 'til the fat lady sings." According to Ralph Keyes in his book The Quote Verifier, that expression was first used by Dick Motta during a 1978 National Basketball Assocation playoff. Mr. Motta said that Dan Cook, a TV sportscaster in San Antonio, Texas had coined it. Mr. Keyes noted that Southern Words and Sayings, a 1976 pamphlet had this entry, "Church ain't out 'till the fat lady sings." Since then, it has been used and abused by politicians, pundits and sports announcers.
We won't be hearing the end of this expression and Peter Gelb's transformation of the Met for a long time.
