Conchita Wurst and Rene Pape both took to the stage at Saturday's Life Ball in Vienna - though, tragically, not together. Luckily for us they were able to compare beards backstage.
It seems everyone at the celeb-infested charity event was after a piece of Wurst...
...everyone except Bill Clinton that is. The putative future First Gentleman somehow managed to avoid the sort of photo op that might be tough to explain in Dry Prong, Louisiana. So we must thank Bild for their compositing skills:
*UPDATE* The Hampster, recovering from the illness that kept him out of Covent Garden's latest Tosca run, managed to crawl from his sickbed for long enough to grab some Wurst.
Where exactly is La Wurst's left hand in the first photo?
Meanwhile, did La Hampson sing as scheduled, I wonder? If he did, it will take some expalining in Bow St. to all of us who have had to endure Marco Vratogna's voiceless Scarpia.
Posted by: SJT | 02 June 2014 at 12:36 AM
Not sure Hampson would have had much more voice as Scarpia, but he might have given the impression that he had. Surely the veteran Gavanelli, warts and all, would be a better bet for Scarpia than any of these "experimental" castings, and stand-ins, at the RO. Excepting Bryn, of course. Does anyone know why the Scarpia Bryn is replacing pulled out? Maybe he was even more voiceless than Vratogna?
Posted by: Nikolaus Vogel | 02 June 2014 at 09:05 AM
Not to mention that Lucio Gallo - another lightweight baritone - is singing Scarpia later this month.
Why don't they let Platanias do it? I hear he was pretty good in Frankfurt.
Posted by: Nik | 02 June 2014 at 11:28 AM
Disgusting.
Shame on all the famous singers who give in to the new world order's perverts.
Posted by: Opera fan | 04 June 2014 at 05:21 PM
First time I've heard anyone call Rene Pape a pervert.
Posted by: inter mezzo | 04 June 2014 at 05:25 PM
Behind Wurst as a role model is the new world order organisation that backs him up. He is part of their corruption plan to control all humanity.
Posted by: Opera fan | 04 June 2014 at 05:53 PM
You mean Abba?
Posted by: inter mezzo | 04 June 2014 at 06:11 PM
Well, he was last seen in Bow Street wearing a most spangly black frock....
Posted by: SJT | 04 June 2014 at 10:09 PM
I mean zionists.
************
Intermezzo replies - I hardly ever block commenters, but I'm making an exception in your case.
Posted by: Opera fan | 06 June 2014 at 09:03 AM
Well done, IM! And haha @ Hamster rising from his sickbed to grab some Wurst!!!
Posted by: Nikolaus Vogel | 17 June 2014 at 04:53 PM