i’ve talked about Cronenberg before on here and i’ll probably talk about him again for many times to come. The man is truly a master of psychological horror. Every one of his films, no matter what genre he spans, oozes with his signature sense of dread and anatomical obsession..
And now, for his latest project, he’s gone and rebirthed one of his most beloved films into a whole other medium..
It’s fucking perfect..
Opening this week in Paris at the Théâtre du Chatelet is the highly anticipated opera adaptation of THE FLY..
Based on THE FLY (1986, David Cronenberg), which itself was a remake of the original THE FLY (1958, Kurt Neumann), the production is a melding of the two by following the basic story of the remake while taking place somewhere in the 50′s, like the original..
i guess you could say that Cronenberg put both versions through his Telepods and out came this new mutation..
Directed for the stage by Mr. Cronenberg with libretto by David Henry Hwang (M. BUTTERFLY) and conducted by Placido Domingo (when it comes to LA), the real star of this production is the composer Howard Shore..
Shore is one of the greatest composers working today. His 30+ year career includes composing the score for the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy (2001-2003, Peter Jackson) and almost all of Cronenberg’s films, as well as composing the original theme songs of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1975-present, Lorne Michaels) and LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN..
If you think about it, it has all the elements needed for good opera: a love story, a transformation, tragedy and death, not to mention a large dose of melodrama..
The opera, as it is, is divided in two acts, each being around one hour long. The break comes after Brundle goes through the Telepods (full frontal male nudity, people.. WOO-HOO!!), so ACT I covers around the first 30 minutes of the movie and ACT II covers the last 60 minutes. The production, however, is not an exact recreation of the movie..
The setting is Seth Brundle’s lab and there are machines everywhere.. There is the computer console which also includes Brundle’s piano (art and science in the same machine), and of course the two Telepods, which look nothing like the ones we all know. They’re more like retro-scifi-computers, with big screens instead of windows.. (By the way, the computer sings too, much like a Greek chorus..)
The story is told in flashback form, beginning with Ronnie (played by Geena Davis in the movie) being interviewed by a police woman hours after Brundle died. Then it blends to the party where she first meets him.. From then on, the plot follws that of the movie closely, occasionally interrupted by Ronnie’s retrospective comments..
In a throwback to one of Cronenbergs earlier masterpieces VIDEODROME (1983), Brundle, who, after going through the Telepods, becomes “The New Flesh.”
“All Hail The New Flesh” is what the choir is singing over and over again. Much time is used on thoughts about The New Flesh and how it differs from the old flesh.
Luckily for us here in Southern California, the production will come straight here from Paris in the fall.. So, i will stop with the spoilers and suggest that you get tickets as soon as possible.. i know i am!!..
In the meantime, if you are thus far unfamiliar with the films of Cronenberg, i suggest you put a few of his titles on your rentlist right away!..
So, til next time, sweeties..
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