Even snakes must audition for the Metropolitan Opera, and Princess the boa got the role
Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- The Metropolitan Opera required auditions for the snake appearing briefly in its upcoming production of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte.”
- Carnival performer Zoë Ziegfeld trained the candidate snakes under stage-light conditions and selected a boa constrictor named Princess.
- Nala will serve as the understudy in the production, which transposes the story to 1950s Coney Island.
Almost everyone who appears on the stage of New York’s Metropolitan Opera must audition. That includes the snake scheduled to take a brief turn in the spotlight during the company’s upcoming adaptation of a Mozart classic.
Zoë Ziegfeld, a carnival performer who will serve as the snake handler, tested each reptile competing for the role. She rehearsed with them under the powerful lights they would face during the performance. Princess, a boa constrictor, won the part, while Nala will be her understudy.
The production is based on “Così fan tutte,” a story in which two young men test the faithfulness of their fiancées. The Met’s version keeps most of the plot but moves the action to 1950s Coney Island, with colorful scenery and the visual style of mid-century America.
About this summary
Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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