Tenor Francesco Meli is currently performing the title role in Verdi's "Otello" at the La Fenice opera house in Venice, and the white singer has publicly objected to one feature of the production: "I do not agree with being a white Otello." That is, the director of the production, Fabio Cerese, decided that Meli would not wear blackface for the role. Meli seems to think that the audience needs to have his face be painted black or they won't understand what's happening. Apparently, he thinks opera audiences are incapable of using their imaginations. La Fenice could of course solve the problem by hiring a black tenor to sing the role instead. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 28 November 2024)
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