Funny Opera Stories From My Film Production Book

• Posted on 9th June 2015
• in celebrity books, celebrity stories online, celebrity story, Entertainment, entertainment books, Film Production, funny celebrity stories, Hollywood books, Hollywood memoirs
• by Ben

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Circumstances Beyond My Control, is full of stories about the adventures I had in

film production

as a line producer and first assistant director. But during those years Elizabeth was working a lot as a singer and had a few adventures of her own. While they’re not film production stories, in a way they do relate to film and TV and how they permeate our society. Here are some of her funny (and not so funny) ones excerpted from the book.

From chapter 19 – Backtracking 1978-1985

“There was a lot going on in Elizabeth’s and my life in addition to my work as an AD and producer during these years.

“Elizabeth continued her singing with Orchestra da Camera as well as with another opera/musical theatre group with no formal name founded and produced by Marshall Thomas. This was a very small company consisting of Marshall, Elizabeth, Marge Rivingston, Joyce Hall and occasional substitute singers. They performed exclusively in public schools.

“Two separate but equally strange things occurred during these performances.

“I’ll let  Elizabeth describe them: We were way out on the Island at a high school with Orchestra de Camera. I can’t remember whether it was a Pergolesi or Menotti opera, but some kids started throwing things into the orchestra pit – I think apples and other food – the orchestra guys hurriedly packed up their instruments and split. No one got hurt but it was the end of that performance and the first time I’d ever considered how vulnerable one can be on stage.

Elizabeth as “Monica” in Menotti’s The Medium

“The other occasion was after a performance of Haydn’s ‘Lo Speziale’ (The Apothecary). I think it was a junior high school in a rather deprived neighborhood. After the performance, still in costume, we came off the stage and stood in front of the audience to answer questions. I remember many of them were stunned because they thought they’d been looking at a television show. Their seeing us before them just talking and being with them was shocking.

“In the late seventies she did several roles with the NYC Opera, most notable among them a male street urchin in Louise. Her dressing room mate was Bonnie Corsaro, wife of the director Frank Corsaro. They were friends of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. One night after the show Joanne visited the dressing room and gave Elizabeth a great compliment. ‘I didn’t realize you were a girl until you walked upstage and I saw your tush.’ ”

You’ll find scores of my film production and Elizabeth’s theatrical stories when you buy Circumstances Beyond My Control.

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Tags: Bonnie Corsaro, Frank Corsaro, Joanne Woodward, NYC Opera, Orchestra da Camera, Paul Newman