TEATRO DON OPERATICO

              Opera in Commercials  

             
            Date: April 11, 2000 07:47 AM
            Author: Senta *
            Subject: Opera in Commercials

            I have to admit my current favorite commercial is the one where
            Brunnhilde chucks her spear at the guy sitting in the audience who
            is using his cell phone. You have no idea how many times in recent
            years I've wished I had a spear for the exact same purpose.




               
              Date: April 11, 2000 10:16 AM
              Author: Alan Bromberg
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              Senta, the problem with spear-chucking is that the dying scream as
              the spear hits home can be as annoying as the cell phone. If you
              can get close enough, Mace works much more quietly.






                 
                Date: April 11, 2000 10:20 AM
                Author: Senta *
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                Alan,
                In the commercial I'm referring to, her spear nails his cell
                phone. Good aim, that Brunnhilde.
         






                 

               
              Date: April 12, 2000 01:07 PM
              Author: Seth Lubin
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              Senta wrote: "I have to admit my current favorite commercial is
              the one where Brunnhilde chucks her spear at the guy sitting in
              the audience who is using his cell phone."
              That also is my favorite "opera commercial". However has anyone
              noticed that the soprano is singing the words: "Vissi d'arte". Now
              that really makes me laugh and she really has good aim. I also
              like when the cell phone is shown showing "Opera just got
              interesting."







                 
                Date: April 13, 2000 06:59 PM
                Author: Tenore Maggiore
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                I think a favorite blooper of mine where opera was used in a
                commercial is the Italian pasta sauce advertised with music from
                Carmen (a French opera).






             
            Date: April 11, 2000 10:08 AM
            Author: Pippo
            Subject: A Baritone in Commercials

            I have a shocking confession to make: I write commercials to pay the
            mortgage ( - and I hate the trend of using operatic music to sell
            products ).
            However, my baritone friend has asked me to write a commercial in
            which he will star and make lots of money. I'm racking my brains
            here as I glance at the account list - spring water, low fat spread,
            toilet rolls, healthcare products, charities, building materials,
            fruit juices, wines and sherry, hair restorer (I kid you not),
            department stores, a luxury hotel, car rentals, pasta sauces,
            vitamin products - and my favourite, a product which clears up head
            lice, called Lyclear!!!!!
            Can anyone steer me in the right direction, so that I can make my
            baritone friend a millionaire? All suggestions (especially the crazy
            ones) accepted gratefully!!!!!
            Pippo





               
              Date: April 11, 2000 10:26 AM
              Author: Alan Bromberg
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              Pasta sauce? How about "Raguletto?"






                 
                Date: April 11, 2000 11:19 AM
                Author: Zerlina
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                *groans*
                Oh, Alan! For shame!!
                (Just teasing....that was cute.)
                Zerlina






                   
                  Date: April 11, 2000 12:41 PM
                  Author: Alan Bromberg
                  Subject: Opera in Commercials

                  Zerlina - Skippy made me do it.
                  Alan






                 
                Date: April 13, 2000 05:47 AM
                Author: seth  
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                Alan, how about a toothpaste commercial with FLOSShilde.






                   
                  Date: April 13, 2000 06:48 AM
                  Author: Alan Bromberg
                  Subject: Opera in Commercials

                  Pretty good, Seth. If the fruit juices include apple, we could
                  have "Mon core s'ouvre..."






               
              Date: April 11, 2000 10:27 AM
              Author: Michael Williams
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              Well, let's see. Baritone arias that fit your client list. Hmm..
              How about Iago's "Beva!" aria for the wines and spirits folks?
              For vitamins, maybe Leporello's catalogue aria?
              And for hair restoration, what else but "Hairy tu" from "Ballo"?






                 
                Date: April 11, 2000 10:37 AM
                Author: Pippo
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                'Hairy tu' ?????? ( OR 'Hairy too' )
                Oh Michael, are you sure you never worked as an advertising
                copywriter???
                (guarding the idea jealously as my own)
                Pippo






                   
                  Date: April 11, 2000 10:44 AM
                  Author: Michael Williams
                  Subject: Opera in Commercials

                  Consider it yours. I hope you and your baritone friend make a
                  mint.






                     
                    Date: April 11, 2000 11:23 AM
                    Author: Pippo
                    Subject: A Baritone in Commercials

                    Michael, bad news. The hair restorer client thinks 'Hairy
                    tu' from Ballo is too mournful and solitary. Now he's
                    looking for something more upbeat, preferably a scene where
                    the no-longer-bald baritone is joined by an admiring
                    soprano. ( Could be a job for Tall there?? )
                    Back to the drawing board.
                    Pippo






                       
                      Date: April 11, 2000 12:48 PM
                      Author: Dennis Ramos
                      Subject: Opera in Commercials

                      HEY FIGARO!!!!!!






                       
                      Date: April 11, 2000 03:49 PM
                      Author: Michael Williams
                      Subject: Opera in Commercials

                      Ok, let's not get discouraged. The client is boss.
                      "Figaro" sounds good. He's loved by a soprano. "Si vuol
                      baldare, Signor Contino"?






                         
                        Date: April 11, 2000 07:51 PM
                        Author: Balding Baritone (operatico@hotmail.com)
                        Subject: Opera in Commercials

                        Not bad at all!
                        Will have to think about this one.






                           
                          Date: April 12, 2000 09:42 AM
                          Author: Pippo
                          Subject: Opera in Commercials

                          The hair restorer client likes the sound of the Figaro
                          commercial 'Se vuol baldare', but says he will have to
                          spend the usual six months researching the concept
                          with males aged 25 - 55 in the desired income bracket.

                          Meanwhile ... the Head Lice Remover client has heard
                          about our operatic campaign on the grapevine and is so
                          jealous that he wants one too. This is causing great
                          friction amoung the account teams in the agency and I
                          may just have to write an opera about it. (If Skippy
                          is interested, we are casting for the part of the Evil
                          Head Louse next week. )






                             
                            Date: April 12, 2000 11:20 AM
                            Author: Michael Williams
                            Subject: Opera in Commercials

                            Well, your man for writing an opera is Don O. I
                            wouldn't dare try to compete with him in this genre.

                            The head lice people are a challenge. I'll ponder a
                            bit.






                               
                              Date: April 17, 2000 08:31 PM
                              Author: Don Operatico (operatico@hotmail.com)
                              Subject: Opera in Commercials

                              Baldo in maschera? (Cf. "Hairy tu".)
                              





                                 
                                Date: April 18, 2000 10:32 AM
                                Author: Michael Williams
                                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                                There you go! Unfortunately, Pippo's client
                                seems set on a comic opera with love interest.
                                And the hero has to be a baritone. That limits
                                the field quite a bit. Any obscure Donizetti we
                                could revive for the purpose?
                                





                                 
                                Date: April 18, 2000 11:00 AM
                                Author: Alan Bromberg
                                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                                How about "Maria di Rogaine?"
                                





                                 
                                Date: April 18, 2000 09:29 PM
                                Author: Don Operatico (operatico@hotmail.com)
                                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                                Not bad! Unfortunately not very comic in the
                                original (the plot is rather similar in fact to
                                Baldo).
                                I mention a couple of rare Donizetti items in a
                                post below. One is Vitamina Cornaro (as in
                                Caterina Cornaro), the other is Il Campanello,
                                which is a comic opera and, being set in a
                                pharamacy, seems perfect for advertising health
                                products and vitamins. Maybe he sells hair
                                stuff, too; who knows?
                                





                             
                            Date: April 14, 2000 01:57 PM
                            Author: Susie McLean
                            Subject: Opera in Commercials

                            I'm afraid that "Figaro" hair restorer idea has
                            already been taken. Refer to Elmer and Bugs in "The
                            Rabbit of Seville".






                 
                Date: April 13, 2000 12:17 AM
                Author: Mustang
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                Better than that for the wine and spirits- Hamlet's "O vin"? The
                uninitiated don't have to know that he's trying to drink himself
                into a stupor!





             
            Date: April 12, 2000 06:18 PM
            Author: Don Operatico (operatico@hotmail.com)
            Subject: Opera in Commercials

            I was thinking about this one last night, but unfortunately couldn't
            remember all the stuff we were advertising (my printer must have
            skippied yesterday, or tenored). Anyway, here are some ideas I was
            trhowing around at c. 2 AM.
            For health foods: "Granola" (get it? Granada? Granola? Yuk yuk!);
            "Ombra mai tofu"; (this one's actually from Tall Soprano originally,
            but about three years old) "Zerlinetta, my garbanzo" (from DG; are
            garbanzos health food?).
            For lice: "I'm gonna wash that louse right outa my hair". Did you
            say these were supposed to be for baritone only? Or did a soprano
            come into it somewhere? I don't remember.
            Complete operas as commercials (not all of these will be appropriate
            to the products mentioned above):
            Carmen and Segreto di Susanna (cigarettes; cf. The Flying Dutch
            Masters); Freischütz (NRA); Internetraviata (cybersex).
            For that hair thing; Rogainetto, La Gro'-'Em (pretty bad, I know).
            "Il bald-en".
            Food: Caviarteria rusticana, La Cilantrola. Lucia di Land O' Lakes.
            Oreo. Food Lion's Zauberflöte. Health food: The Dried Bean Curd of
            Love. Lofat'n'grin.
            Cars: Schauspieldirector has a Madame Hertz, no? Chryslerdämmerung.
            Fordsa del Destino. Rosenkadillac.
            Soft drinks: Coca Cola's Elisir d'amore; La Pepsicole (Perichole);
            Pepséas et Mountaindeue.
            Fast food: Verdi's Macdonald's; Lady Macdonald's of Mtsensk. Girl of
            the Golden Arches.
            Gadgets: Die Walkman. Microsfot's Don Giovanni: "Deh vieni alla
            Finestra 2000". (A judge ruled that Microsfot had an illegal
            monopoly, by the way; the decision could have major ramifications
            for the Web. Stay tuned.)





               
              Date: April 13, 2000 05:11 AM
              Author: Pippo
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              Don O, These are good - you must have been drinking something
              potent at 2 a.m. to come up with Die Walkman and Der
              Rosencadillac!!! But I'm shocked to find that you have stolen my
              top-secret idea for our Microsoft pitch, where our tenor hero
              sings that great aria from IRIS, " Apri la tua Finestra 2000,
              amore mia ..." It's bad enough having Skippy in my computer,
              without you hacking in as well!







                 
                Date: April 13, 2000 06:58 PM
                Author: Don Operatico (operatico@hotmail.com)
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                Actually the "Deh vieni" idea is pretty old, and i posted
                something like it in the dim recesses of SR history, a time that
                now only exists in printout (and in some sloppy handwritten
                notes when I didn't have access to a printer.
                Unfortunately I was doing drugs last night too (listening to
                Cenerentola on the radio; and you know what? I actually
                recognized a singer's voice!!! I though she sounded like Agnes
                Baltsa and she was Agnes Baltsa! COOOOL!) And I came up with a
                few more:
                For lice:
                "Lyclear, viens!" (to the tune of "Léonore, viens!"
                "Non più andrai, farfallon pedocchioso [louse-covered]"
                "Vedrò, mentr'io sopsiro, free of lice un servo mio!"
                For toilet rolls: "Toilet roll, en garde! Toilet roll! Toilet
                roll!" (from the opera, Charmin).
                For luxury hotels:
                "Aprite un Palmer, OK?" ("Aprite un po' quegli occhi")
                "Palmer siamo"
                "Come Palmer vezzoso" (Belcore as hotel pusher)
                For healthcare products etc.:
                "Da che sposa vitamina" (a lovely baritone aria from the
                little-known Donizetti opera, "Vitamina Cornaro". Aside; Does
                your baritone friend know that there's lots of good stuff for
                baritone in Donizetti operas? People talk about the Verdi
                baritone while not acknowledging the role Donizetti played. But
                I digress.)
                "Der Herbalife-salesman bin ich ja"
                Dulcamara's patter aria in Elisir.
                Lots of good stuff in Campanello: the whole opera is about a
                pharmacist who gets perescuted by a former lover of his wife.
                The said former lover (a baritone, by the way) comes disguised
                as a Frenchman, a hoarse opera singer and an old man with an
                incredibly long prescription for his wife.
                I couldn't think of much for fruit juices. It's obvious that
                your baritone friend won't be advertising Hi C. "Là ci darem la
                mango" is all that comes to mind.





             
            Date: April 16, 2000 05:02 PM
            Author: Jodie
            Subject: Opera in Commercials

            There was a commercial for pasta sauce (I think) a few years ago
            that used the "Song to the Moon" music from Dvorak's Rusalka. At the
            end the announcer says "That's Italian!"





               
              Date: April 17, 2000 08:49 AM
              Author: Pippo
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              I swear to you that the Rusalka 'Italian' commercial was not one
              of mine!!!
              (Although I have written commercials for Napolina pasta sauce and
              successfully avoided all references to opera, even tho' one radio
              commercial opened with an Italian wife in bed with her lover.... )

              I was wondering about having a balding baritone singing
              (transposed ) 'Ritorna Vincitor' to his emerging new hair as he
              uses the hair restorer product.







                 
                Date: May 05, 2000 08:44 PM
                Author: Don Operatico (operatico@hotmail.com)
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                The only trouble with "Ritorna vincitor" is that, after the
                first two words, it turns into a tragic piece because of the
                conflict between Aida's love of her country and her love for
                Radames. Go with "Se vuol baldare", that's my unsollicited
                advice for the day.






               
              Date: May 03, 2000 04:08 PM
              Author: Lani Kai
              Subject: Who is singing that???

              Ok, since you all are talking about opera in commercials...can
              anyone tell me who is singing O Mio in a new computer
              commercial...I just can't think!!! It is going to be bugginh me
              until I find out!! ARGHHHH!!! Lani
 




             
            Date: April 30, 2000 08:15 PM
            Author: Joan Abel
            Subject: Opera in Commercials

            The oat bran industry has been awfully quiet lately. How about
            coaxing them back with "Bran-gaene's Watch," get Kellogg's & Rolex
            to do a co-op!
            You might sell more macho SUV's with an excerpt from "Car-men."
            AbelCat, getting ready to duck the barrage of shoes!





               
              Date: May 05, 2000 08:45 PM
              Author: Don Operatico (operatico@hotmail.com)
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              "Taurus, four-door, anti-lock breaks! Taurus, four-door, Taurus,
              four-door!"






             
            Date: May 02, 2000 10:57 AM
            Author: Pippo
            Subject: Opera in Commercials

            I have another confession to make. My agency group has just produced
            a TV commercial for a loo roll which has animated loo seats of every
            description moving up and down in time to an 'a capella' version of
            Handel's Water Music!!!
            It may sound like a very tasteless idea, but it's actually
            hilarious. The male 'humming chorus' sound as if they're singing
            'Bum bum bum-bum, bum bum bum-bum bumbum.... ' I have to put a VO
            endline onto it in studio this week (very 'tongue-in-cheek'
            delivery).
            OMIGOD - well, it's better than listening to the Sarah
            Not-so-Brightman CD a friend just sent me!!!





               
              Date: May 02, 2000 12:26 PM
              Author: Beverly Sperry
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              For those who need a translation: "loo roll" equals "toilet
              paper."
              And Regina, you certainly do not need to twist my arm to get me to
              attest to your elegance at the cultural events in Ireland which
              you grace with your presence.
              Best regards,
              Beverly





                             
                Date: May 03, 2000 06:12 AM
                Author: Pippo
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                Dear Gracious Beverly,
                Thank you for the kind words. How much do I owe you??
                Just heard that my baritone friend will be singing Escamillo
                ("Toilet roll, en garde" ) in the opera Charmin, er Carmen, in
                Cork at the end of this year. The fee will not make him a
                millionaire however, so he needs a glossy TV commercial more
                than ever. ( So do I,'cos I like to win advertising awards and
                go to long lunches to celebrate! )
                Pippo






                   
                  Date: May 03, 2000 10:02 PM
                  Author: Don Operatico (operatico@hotmail.com)
                  Subject: Opera in Commercials

                  Simply stage the entire opera as a commercial and you could
                  all be making the big moolah. There are several ways you could
                  do it. Make sure the cigarette brand produced by Carmen and
                  Co. is indicated by a large billboard during the Habanera.
                  Have your baritone friend use Charmin toilet roll pack instead
                  of a red cape at the bull fight. Have a large ad for some
                  florist or other (could even be Amazon.com) during the flower
                  song. You get the idea.





             
            Date: May 03, 2000 08:10 PM
            Author: JUDSON
            Subject: Opera in Commercials

            No one else has yet commented on the television commercial I saw
            this week.
            Am I the only one thus far to see Charlotte Church singing the
            wonders of the TARGET stores?





               
              Date: May 03, 2000 09:12 PM
              Author: Lani Kai
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              No, I have seen it many times...nice jaw..."tres chic!"






               
              Date: May 04, 2000 03:50 PM
              Author: Vincenzo
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              I saw the Target commercial not long after you warned us -- I was
              trying to forget about it.






               
              Date: May 04, 2000 04:01 PM
              Author: Odeen
              Subject: Opera in Commercials

              Thanks for reminding me, Judson. I was listening to Frida Leider
              and then the image of Church crept up. Thanks a lot.






                 
                Date: May 04, 2000 09:04 PM
                Author: JUDSON
                Subject: Opera in Commercials

                Well, Odeen, better than the other way around.



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