Sunday, October 28, 2007

'Meeting Venus' redux


News of a strike disrupting the schedule of the Paris Opera . . .

http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/7281.html

. . . brings to mind my favorite opera movie, István Szabó’s "Meeting Venus," the hilarious yet bittersweet tale of a Parisian troupe (where "you can be misunderstood in six different languages") coping with a black-leather Eurotrash staging of Wagner's "Tannhäuser" that's almost undone by labor strife. Among its endearing absurdities is the casting of Glenn Close as the production's diva.

It's available on DVD (via Amazon.com) – a pricey German import, but well worth the bucks.