DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Review: The Met Opera’s ‘Turandot’ Returns With a Strong Debut
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Oussama Zahr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Puccini’s “Turandot,” a verismo opera set in a fabled version of ancient China, makes for an odd love story. Its unlikable romantic leads go largely unfazed by the death and dismemberment they instigate; when they finally share true love’s kiss, they’re standing atop a figurative pile of corpses. On Wednesday at the Metropolitan Opera, the conductor Oksana Lyniv made a strong debut, emphasizing the murderous, life-or-death stakes instead of the fairy-tale Orientalism that has made it a cultural lightning rod in recent years. The reckoning around “Turandot” creates a problem for the Met, because the company’s long-running production, a lavish spectacle introduced by the director Franco Zeffirelli in 1987, is a hit. The gold-and-ecru throne room of Act II still dazzles, and eye-popping exoticism runs rampant, with acrobats, ribbon dancers, curled-roof pavilions and a dragon puppet.

Persons: Puccini’s, ”, Oksana Lyniv, “, —, Franco Zeffirelli Organizations: Metropolitan Opera Locations: China

☆ In Maria Callas’s Career, La Scala Played a Major Role
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Farah Nayeri | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Following is an overview of some of Callas’s career highlights at La Scala. “Aida” (Verdi): April 12, 1950Callas’s very first performance onstage at La Scala was as a substitute for the much-adored Renata Tebaldi, who was unwell. “I Vespri Siciliani” (Verdi):Dec. 7, 1951This was the first time that Callas was headlining a La Scala production — kicking off the opera house’s season, in fact — and it was a triumph. It also “encapsulated so much” of the Maria Callas that audiences have come to know and revere. Musically, she gave it her all, triggering 24 minutes of applause (according to the Edwards biography), a La Scala record.

Persons: Aida ”, Renata Tebaldi, “ Maria Callas, Anne Edwards, Franco Zeffirelli, Callas, ”, Maria Meneghini Callas, Franco Abbiati, David Bret, Abbiati, ” “ Lucia di Lammermoor ”, Donizetti, Herbert von Karajan, —, Lucia, — Callas, barehanded, Cynthia Jolly, “, Bret, Violetta, Donizetti’s “ Lucia di Lammermoor ”, Bellini’s “ Norma, Luchino Visconti, Fisher, Maria Callas, Carlo Maria Giulini, Giuseppe Di Stefano, “ Anna Bolena ”, Visconti, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Edwards Organizations: La Scala, Scala, della, Opera, The Times Locations: “ La, Belle

☆ ‘The Book of Clarence’ Review: Messiahs Wherever You Look
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Alissa Wilkinson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The subject of a Jesus movie is technically Jesus. Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” paints a heavily Catholic, heavily bloody image of a suffering hero. “The Jesus Film,” produced for evangelistic purposes, takes its text entirely from the biblical account, attempting to render a literalist version of a savior. “The Book of Clarence” is something entirely different than these and dozens of other renderings. As with that series, “The Book of Clarence” is a highly ambitious attempt at relatability, with an added reverence for the old-school “Ben-Hur”-era Hollywood biblical epics.

Persons: Jesus —, —, Mel Gibson’s, Franco Zeffirelli’s “ Jesus of Nazareth ”, “, ”, William Wyler’s “ Ben, Hur, Jesus, Clarence ”, you’ve, “ Ben, Jeymes Samuel Organizations: Angel Studios, CW

☆ New V&A show 'DIVA' salutes and studies top stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Elton John's 50th birthday costumes are seen on display at DIVA, an exhibition celebrating the power and creativity of iconic performers, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, Britain June 19, 2023. Titled "DIVA", the exhibition features some 60 costumes and 250 items from screen sirens and stage stars from the 19th century to today, many displayed for the first time. "Some of this goes all the way back to the turn of the century, 1900, you know opera singers, silent film stars. It uses the objects to recount the creation of the diva, delving into personal stories and looking at performers' activism and sway on social issues, including equality and civil rights. "The diva has a strong sense of self, an attitude and knowing... how to use their voice," lead curator Kate Bailey said.

Persons: Elton John's, Anna Gordon LONDON, Victoria, Marilyn Monroe, Maria Callas, Franco Zeffirelli's, Bob Mackie's, Tina Turner, Cher, Elton John's Louis XIV, Janelle Monae's, Mackie, Kate Bailey, Hanna Rantala, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Victoria, Albert Museum, REUTERS, Royal Opera House, nk, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ The Maestro Wore Blue: Bringing Pizazz to the Pit at the Met
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Javier C. Hernández | Landon Nordeman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Metropolitan Opera’s music director, dressed in a blazing sapphire jacket and trim black pants, stood before a mirror backstage on a recent afternoon and smiled. “Oh my God, it’s so good,” he said, waving his baton. His outfit was modeled on one worn onstage by a band leader in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production. Could the golden braid that dangled from his right shoulder be fastened, so it did not create a distraction in the pit? Was the jacket comfortable enough to accommodate the sweeping gestures that the music demanded?

☆ ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Stars Sue Paramount Over Teen Nude Scene in 1968 Film
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Olivia Hussey was 15 and Leonard Whiting was 16 during the filming of ’Romeo and Juliet.’The two stars of the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Franco Zeffirelli , have sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million, alleging they were sexually exploited during a nude scene in the film when they were teenagers. Olivia Hussey , who played Juliet, was 15 years old when the movie was filmed and Leonard Whiting , who played Romeo, was 16. Both are now in their 70s and allege that Paramount engaged in fraud, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, according to a complaint filed Friday in state Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

☆ 'Romeo & Juliet' stars sue over teen nude scene in 1968 film
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were just teenagers when they electrified audiences in the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film was a hit and was nominated for four Academy Awards, but it also stirred controversy over a bedroom scene which included images of Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts. Now in their 70s, Hussey and Whiting filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, accusing Paramount of sexually exploiting them and distributing nude images of adolescent children. The suit alleges that he was being dishonest and that Whiting and Hussey were in fact filmed nude without their knowledge. In a 2018 interview with Variety, Hussey defended the nude scene.

☆ Paramount sued for $500 million over 1968 'Romeo & Juliet' nude scene
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Two stars of the 1968 film adaption of "Romeo & Juliet" have sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million over a nude scene the actors shot when they were teenagers, according to a copy obtained by CNBC. At the time of filming, Whiting, who portrayed Romeo, was 16, and Hussey, who portrayed Juliet, was 15. The pair filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud. Paramount has not made any public statement about the suit and did not respond to request for comment from CNBC. The attorney for the actors say they're seeking $500 million in damages to match the amount the film has earned since 1968.

Search resuls for: "Franco Zeffirelli"

8 mentions found