It's been 12 days since the OC blog has been Roberto Alagna-free, and we were hoping we could make it last to at least two weeks...but the OC inbox is clogged with readers asking why we haven't yet posted on the latest Alagna flounderings.
Forum boards across the vast tubes of the internets have been echoing for the past week with news of tenor Roberto Alagna's newest string of cancellations, which this time manifest as a drop-out of three June performances in Il Trovatore at Madrid’s Teatro Real.
We had first caught wind of the situation last week when dear, cherished, illuminated reader *fignaz* (who has forever gained permanent residence in the hallowed halls of OC legends) had earlier alerted Opera Chic to the massive warning signs and circulating rumors of an imminent Alagna break-down and pull-out, stating that shortly after Alagna's May 18 recital in Paris at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (where he sang French opera arias, tarantellas, and Sicilian folk songs) the tenor had a "bad hypoglycemia attack" (codename: nervous breakdown/panic attack), which prompted the singer's doctor to intervene with rounds of diagnostic tests. We were waiting for the French papers to confirm details, but they clearly don't care, and the official statement has finally been announced by representatives at Teatro Real.
As of today, Teatro Real still hasn't knocked down Alagna's name from the la prima cast listing (opposite Fiorenza Cedolins and Dolora Zajick), but yesterday the theater announced Alagan’s Manrico replacements, including South Korean tenor Francesco Hong (sharing the dates with both la prima's Francisco Casanova and Richard Margison), who should probably start a support group for replacement tenors that have stepped in for the super-flaky Alagna, and make Antonello Palombi the treasurer.) [ed: As of this morning, Alagna has been pulled from the cast listing for June's Il Trovatore on the Teatro Real website].
(the latest member of the "I Covered Alagna's Latest Cancellation And All I Got Was This Crappy T-Shirt" club, tenor Francesco Hong)
As everyone knows by now (hell, even Fox News is reporting on it), Alagna is checking into a clinic this weekend for a nose job that will take six weeks of recovery time and two weeks restriction of airplane travel. The surgeons will exorcise the great goblins that reside inside his nasal cavities, currently robbing him of precious oxygen...or something like that. listen, this is totally ridicculous, i talked to alagna's doctor onetime in an elevator in paris and he didnt mention nose jobs at all. i call shenanigans.
What we love is that Drama-Llama-Alagna once again managed to eclipse another great maestro, Nicola “My Grandpappy Went Duck-Hunting with Puccini” Luisotti, who will be conducting the Il Trovatore run. But who cares about the conductor when one of the worlds greatest tenors (who can't seem to find access to any of the worlds greatest doctors) might be sick? omg halp sumbuddy halp roberdo b4 he flies n 2 another steroid rage! I asked for my cheeseburger without pickles biyotch *overturns trays**punches cashier* RAWR RAWR.
While discussing Alagna, no one should miss this Spanish-language interview from El Pais, (also alerted to us by fignaz) where Alagna rehashes more of his old beefs with conductors and other paranoid ramblings. Bonus is the accompanying image of Alagna in the most insane selection of white pants and shoes, which I shamelessly copied+pasted from the story below. Where does one even buy shoes like that? Forget the doctors...this man needs a stylist!~ STAT!
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now here's a picture of the cuddly knut (before he got ugly) to chase away the horror of Alagna's white pants/shoes above:
