Former Steel Worker Would Go Nude For Pittsburgh Opera "Aida"

"At 69 years old, heavier than he'd like to be, former steel worker Fred Rokasky knew he might not get one of the roles as the scantily clad, buff spear carriers for the Pittsburgh Opera's upcoming production of Verdi's famed ancient Egypt-based opera, Aida. 'You don't get to pick, so I'll probably be a [uniformed] soldier,' said Mr. Rokasky of Squirrel Hill, one of nearly 50 men who turned out Saturday at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for the Pittsburgh Opera's open casting call for spear carriers, soldiers, priests, slaves, boatmen and litter carriers. Appropriately, the auditions were held in front of the museum's Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt. Still, Mr. Rokasky said, if they need him for one of those roles as a spear carrier -- who would have to appear in front of up to 3,800 opera fans for four shows at the Benedum Center in October wearing what amounts to a mere loincloth -- he is ready. 'It wouldn't bother me, standing there topless,' he said. 'I'm a nudist anyway. So being partially nude wouldn't bother me.' [Source] Optional casting photo after the jump.

Nudity In The Theater: Too Much For Audiences?

One of the many nude scenes from Baal in Sydney

In the opera world, most audiences wonder if the soprano singing the title role in Salome will bare all during the dance of the seven veils. Few have. But artistically speaking, shouldn't it be put in front of audiences for realism sake? Current productions at the Metropolitan Opera include prostitutes in Luc Bondy's Tosca that have greatly toned down their sexual antics with Scarpia, but the Wozzeck included an erotic simulated sex scene involving a 55-year old Waltraud Meier jumping up and wrapping her legs around Stuart Skelton as he humped her against a wall. The Sydney Morning Herald addresses the issue of taking it to the limits in theater. "Baal is playing at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne. In Stone's version, the actors are naked for much of the play as Baal, an outsider poet and singer who rejects the constraints of a bourgeois society, immerses himself in sex, booze and emotional and physical cruelty. The show's early previews inspired several walkouts by audience members confronted by the nudity and violence." This production of Bertolt Brecht's play has prompted many walk-outs by audience members. But it begs the question of why is this sort of thing fine to see in movies, but it is not good live in theater. In this recent article, Jonathan Bielski, executive producer at the Sydney Opera House, comments that it is justifiable to push the envelope as long as it is not just for "shock" value. "Opera Australia received a number of complaints about the lengthy fellatio scene in Neil Armfield's award-winning production of Bliss last year. More complaints rolled in for Tosca's rape scene, which insiders say is one of the reasons Cheryl Barker pulled out of the role. The company plans to warn audiences about nudity and scenes of a graphic violent and sexual nature in the coming production of Richard Mills's The Love of the Nightingale. So far no one has complained about the topless prostitutes in La Boheme." Opera Australia's Lyndon Terracini says, "Personally, I think there is a terrible double standard. What is allowed in film and television is far more insidious. If you're comfortable watching extreme violence and sex scenes in Underbelly, you should have no problem with Rigoletto." [Source]