Maren tells the conclusion of Venetian Vixen and spends some time talking about Verdi’s Otello, as well as the history of blackface in opera and the work that still needs to be done to overcome racism in opera.
News articles about Otello and blackface:
- The New York Times (2015): An ‘Otello’ Without Blackface Highlights an Enduring Tradition in Opera
- The Guardian (2017): Otello: opera, identity politics and blacking-up
BIPOC Instagram accounts to follow:
- @operaisracist – tough and vulnerable stories that are difficult to read but so important to have out in the world
- @brownleetenor (Lawrence Brownlee) – who has an amazing FB Live series called “The Sitdown with LB.”
- @angeljoyblue (Angel Blue) – amazing and uplifting voice, creator of the Opera Training Studio
Follow Maren on Instagram: @supermaren
Facebook: https://facebook.com/maren.montalbano
Transcript
(orchestra tuning)
Hello and welcome to The Bodice Ripper Project, an exploration of sexuality, feminism, and the journey to self-empowerment through the lens of romance novels.
I’m Maren Montalbano, opera singer, coach, and writer.
In this episode, you’ll hear the conclusion of Venetian Vixen, get even more acquainted with who I am and what I do…and I’ll also be discussing some societal issues that are reflected in opera.
So make yourself comfortable, loosen your bodice, and let’s begin!
(intro music plays)
Welcome back! I’m so glad you pushed play on this episode, and I can’t wait to bring you more of the adventures of Guillermo and Benedetta in the Venetian Vixen.
A quick refresher of how I ended up writing this story, the Venetian Vixen. I was a chorister in a production of Verdi’s Otello, and there’s a lot of down time, and I ended up writing – it started off as a parody of romance novels, and I created these characters based on – they were background characters in the story of Otello. They were nobles in the court in Cyprus.
Now I do want to spend some time today to talk a little bit about Otello the opera.
I feel like it’s a really good opportunity for me to talk about some things that’s happening right now in our society as we are in the middle of 2020, and everything is shifting and changing and coming to light.
There is a lot of systemic racism in opera.
I’m just going to come out and say it.
And the reason Otello is a good opportunity to talk about it, is that the main character, Otello, is a Moor. That is how he is written in the Shakespeare play. You know, it’s a kind of a very important plot point, and the reason why Iago does the things that he does.
And up until very recently, most opera houses have cast Otello as a White man and put him in blackface.
And that’s not okay. It’s not okay.
In fact, 2015 was the very first time that the Metropolitan Opera did a production of Otello without blackface. So this is not ancient history.
Anyway, this issue is not specific to opera, you know, certainly every single iteration of the Shakespeare play, Othello, has had the same problem.
Honestly the first time I saw the play was when I watched the 1965 film with Laurence Olivier in blackface.
And maybe you’re wondering, “Why don’t they just hire a Black Otello?” But it’s not that easy.
That question speaks to the larger, systemic racism that pervades the classical music world.
Opera is a highly specialized art form that requires a great deal of training, most of which is very expensive.
Historically in this country, Black, Indigenous, People of Color have been oppressed, with policies that have kept them with fewer resources to even access the kind of training that opera requires.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t Black, Indigenous, People of Color in opera but it does mean that there are far more White people in the audition pool.
More and more opera companies are beginning to wake up to how complicit their traditions have been, those traditions of, of blackface, and other traditions as well, you know, I mean, Madame Butterfly, which is – there are many other operas that have similar problems. These traditions have been upholding systemic racism. And right now, you know, post-George Floyd murder, I’m definitely doing a whole lot of introspection. I’m sure that many of you are as well, about how I am, and have been complicit, consciously or unconsciously, in upholding systemic racism. And that’s a difficult road – it’s a very difficult road to walk, but I’m committed to it.
Because I truly believe that that is the way forward.
One of the very first operas that I did as an adult was Aida, another Verdi opera. It’s set in Egypt, and in this production, which was a very traditional production, we were told that it’s very traditional for us to do this, but we need to darken our skin. And so we were all given makeup that would make our, all of the exposed areas, anything that wasn’t covered with clothes, had to be darkened. And it ended up looking a little bit like a spray-on tan.
It made me uncomfortable. And I didn’t know what to do then. I didn’t know how to say, “This makes me uncomfortable.” I was afraid that I would lose my job. I was afraid that people would laugh at me. I was afraid of a lot of things.
I wonder if you’ve ever felt that way. Certainly part of the reason we are experiencing this current state of unrest is that too many people have stayed silent for too long, and those feelings, like steam in a pressure cooker, need some release.
It’s so important for all of us to speak up. It’s just as important for all of us to listen. When we speak our truths, from the heart, we are healthier. When we listen to each other with our hearts, we are healthier. And we can celebrate our different perspectives, our society becomes healthier.
You know, not only am I an opera singer, I am also a coach. And when all of this stuff happened after George Floyd’s murder, and I started really thinking about what can I do, specifically, to – make people think a little bit more, um, just differently about diversity, especially in the classical world, because that’s my world.
So I hosted a 5-day online challenge called Revamp Your Repertoire, and got some really positive responses.
And what invigorated me about that challenge was not just seeing how many people really do want to know about music that’s written by non-dead White men, um, but the eagerness with which this information was consumed.
And that tells me that we’re ready for it. We’re ready for a change. We are ready to start looking at each other as fellow humans and celebrating each other’s diversity and celebrating different perspectives. And I am 100% on board with that.
So all that being said, now let’s dive in to the continuation of the Venetian Vixen.
Where we left off was Benedetta and Guillermo had met in a crowd. And they had shared a passionate kiss. And then Benedetta ran off, and Guillermo spent all night looking for her. And the next morning, she woke up, and he was right outside her room talking to her maid. And she wanted to – she got closer and closer to the door, and all of a sudden, her maid opened the door, and she wasn’t wearing very much. So I will leave it there and give you a little tail end of the previous chapter and take you to the next chapter.
(music begins)
The Venetian Vixen
“I didn’t realize people could blush there,” she heard the man chuckle as her maid closed the door.
Chapter 4
The door slammed shut in Guilliermo’s face. Still grinning, he turned and walked down the hall toward his own chambers.
He had spent half the night trying to discover the identity of the woman who had so bewitched him. After bribing almost all the footmen in the palace, he was informed that the lady in question was staying not 20 yards from his own apartments. His intent had certainly not been to spy upon her maidenly charms…but now that he had spied them, he could not get the alluring vision out of his head.
That long, flowing hair, those taut rosebuds peeking from behind the veil of that incandescent gauze! The mere memory was enough to make his nethers begin to stir. He shifted uncomfortably, nodded to the guard standing in the hall, and entered his chamber.
His manservant, Ferrando, had been nodding off, waiting for Guillermo’s return. Upon hearing the door open, he leapt to his feet and knocked over the platter of meats that he had carefully laid out for his master some six hours prior.
Guillermo looked at Ferrando with one eyebrow raised.
“Any news, signor?” Ferrando squeaked as he hastily picked up the mess from the floor.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Guillermo crowed, and he recounted his encounter with Benedetta in the hallway. Ferrando, having put the platter to rights, proceeded to fill Guillermo’s bathtub with warm water, making noises of consternation or appreciation at the appropriate time during his recitation.
“I also discovered,” Guillermo added as he picked up a sausage from the platter and slid it into his mouth, “that she is a Medici.”
Ferrando nearly dropped the bucket he was holding. “A Medici? Signor, are you sure you want to dabble in the affairs of that family?”
Guillermo grinned again as he remembered Benedetta’s gauze-clad figure. He removed his trousers and stepped into the tub, his appreciation for Benedetta fully evident on his own naked form. “Oh yes, I am certain I want to dabble in her affairs.”
Epilogue
Okay I’m back. I know you weren’t expecting me this early.
Basically, I just wanted to let you know that this entire “novel” was – it really was written backstage during a full production, which was only five performances. So I only have five chapters. So the final performance, I realized I would never get around to finishing the story, so I skipped to the end. Just imagine: our two lovers, after having escaped — not without much tribulation, vexation, and misunderstanding on both their parts — the mortally dangerous political intrigue of post-Otello Cyprus, have finally married and moved back to Venice. This scene takes place six months after the dénouement of the plot, if you want to call it that.
And I am a big huge nerd and added some Shakespearean Easter eggs in this epilogue, so I hope you can find them. They’re not that hard to spot.
“I think I could stay like this forever.”
Benedetta sighed and gazed lovingly at her husband, his naked body covered with a thin sheen of sweat from their exertions on the bed. The full moon bathed their room with a peaceful light, and the soft croon of a gondolier wafted its way to their ears from the canal below.
“We won’t be able to stay like this for too long,” responded Guillermo, “for my son will soon want to join us in the world.” He slid his hand over the bulge in her belly. The baby within her kicked as if in agreement.
She looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “How do you know the babe is not a girl?”
“Because of the way he kicks, amor,” he moved closer and nuzzled her neck.
She allowed him to distract her for a few moments with his attentions, but then, struck with a sudden hunger, arose from the bed and made her way to the fruit-laden bowl on the table in the middle of the room.
He lounged in the bed as he observed her perfectly rounded figure crossing the room. Popping a grape in her mouth, she turned to face him. “So if this child is a boy, what will be his name?”
“Bassanio. I have always wanted to have a child named Bassanio,” he said with authority.
She cocked her head to the side as she considered the name. “Bassanio,” she said slowly. “I always preferred the name Nerissa, myself, for a girl.”
“Well, it will not be a girl,” he insisted again as he rose from the bed to join her at the table.
He picked at the grapes while she chose a more exotic fruit, a banana newly delivered all the way from the New World. She peeled and ate it slowly, gazing at him with heat in her eyes.
“When this babe is born,” vowed Guillermo as he pulled her close, “we shall have to move into some larger apartments. Perhaps the purchase of a palazzo is in order.”
“Have you finally made amends with my family, then, that you will be able to afford a palazzo?” she asked archly.
“Perhaps,” he murmured as he bestowed gentle kisses upon her face. “Or perhaps I have found a new investment partner.”
“Oh?” she asked breathlessly. She was barely paying attention to his words.
“Indeed.” His kisses made their way down her neck to her breasts and even lower as he knelt down before her. “I’ve met a most promising young moneylender named Shylock.”
They conversed no more, as his mouth was otherwise occupied, and her mind was transported to a place beyond words.
(orchestra tuning)
And I will leave it there. Join me next time for a very new story, Seduction’s Servant, which I wrote during a production of The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart.
His touch sent a jolt of electricity up her arm, and her bosom began to rise and fall above her corset more rapidly.
I want to thank you so much for listening to me talk about systemic racism. I know this is a romance novel podcast, but I do think it’s important to talk about these things.
One of the reasons I started this podcast is so I could make connections between the world of romance and opera – which is essentially fantasy and ideals – to the world of right now. Heightened emotions and archetypes are really useful tools to access our subconscious, and this can help us navigate our own personal growth.
I know I’m not going to get this right all the time. I’m a work in progress, just like everyone else. But I know that when I speak from my heart, I am telling the truth. My truth.
So if I have hurt you, reach out, let me know. We can talk about this. I am here to learn.
If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I encourage you to interrogate those feelings and try to find the places in your life that maybe this is a lesson and maybe you need to heal some things. And reach out to me. Maybe we can discover that together.
And if all of what I have been saying resonates with you and you want to find out more ways of supporting anti-racism, then let’s talk!
In any case, you can find me on Instagram @supermaren – just shoot me a DM and we can continue the conversation.
there are a bunch of BIPOC opera resources I want to just give a little shout out to that you can find on Instagram as well.
The first one is @operaisracist. These are really tough and vulnerable stories to read, but they are really important to have out in the world.
Lawrence Brownlee is a spectacular operatic tenor – check out any of his recordings online, but he also has a very cool Facebook Live series called “The Sitdown with LB.” Highly, highly recommend.
And Angel Blue, who, again, is just an amazing singer, all around, like, beautiful human being, she is also the creator of the Opera Training Studio.
I will link to all of those things in the show notes, as well as a few news articles about Otello and the history of blackface.
Thanks again and I can’t wait to see you next time.
The Bodice Ripper Project is a production of Compassionate Creative, and was conceived, written, and edited by me, Maren Montalbano. The background music during the story was Edward Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra, Opus 20 – again – because I couldn’t find any royalty free recordings of Verdi’s Otello – and the theme music was also written by yours truly. Be sure to give this podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, because it helps people like you find me! I’ll see you next time.