Punny Headlines, and Other Oddities of Life

Hmm:

Opera World Buzzing Over Cronenberg Fly

Toronto film director David "Shivers" Cronenberg, tenor Placido Domingo and Oscar-winning, Canadian composer Howard "Lord of the Rings" Shore will create an opera based on Cronenberg's 1986 feature version of The Fly.

The co-production between Theatre du Chatelet in Paris and the Los Angeles Opera will open in Paris July 1, 2008, then move to Los Angeles in September.

"It's a magical reliving of a part of my life," Cronenberg said.

Cronenberg's tragic take on the story, starring actor Jeff Goldblum as a scientist who slowly transforms into a fly, was based on a 1957 short story by George Langelaan.

The two-act opera was conceived by Shore, who called the plot an "intimate story" of love and death.

The work will feature the three main characters, lead baritone, tenor and mezzo-soprano, with a chorus and 75-piece orchestra.

"It has long been my dream to unite the worlds of film with those of opera," said Domingo.

Playwright David Henry "M. Butterfly" Hwang, will script the opera's libretto.

I have no particular reaction to this, which surprises me more than a little.

An "intimate story" of love and death. I'm up for that. With acidic fly saliva that dissolves human limbs. Cool! In fact, I found some parts of the Cronenberg film to be quite moving. Aside from all the goo and gore and related stuff...

Depending on how it's done, I imagine it could be quite effective...alright, I think I'll stop imagining it now. Kind of a reworked version of Frankenstein, with wings and a giant proboscis and all. Now, somebody must have written an opera based on Frankenstein.

...Yes, somebody did. I suspect there may be others as well.

I don't have a final punchline. The End.