AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
If a prima donna is the first lady of an opera, what would we call a first snake? How about Princess?
(SOUNDBITE OF TEODOR CURRENTZIS' "COSI FAN TUTTE OSSIA LA SCUOLA DEGLI AMANTI, K. 588:OUVERTURA")
RASCOE: New York's Metropolitan Opera is staging a new production of Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte," and it recently held auditions for a snake. In the dog-eat-dog world of acting, or serpent-eat-dog world of acting, several snakes tried out. Princess, a rather large boa constrictor, shone in her audition. It was her size that gave her real stage presence.
Now, Mozart's 1790 opera was originally set in the Italian city of Naples, and it features two soldiers who dream up a scheme to test the loyalty of their girlfriends. Now, I hear you - just where is the snake and all of that? Well, the Met's latest version is set in the 1950s on Coney Island, famous for its amusement park and sideshows.
Burlesque dancer Zoe Ziegfeld has been cast as a snake handler, and they do know their serpents. Ziegfeld once worked at the real Coney Island as a snake charmer. They say Princess is a wonderful snake who's performed well during rehearsals. But have no fear. If Princess gets the sniffles, stage fright or has to attend an award show, there is an understudy, a slightly smaller boa constrictor named Nala. Acting really can be a snake pit, after all.
(SOUNDBITE OF TEODOR CURRENTZIS' "COSI FAN TUTTE OSSIA LA SCUOLA DEGLI AMANTI, K. 588:OUVERTURA") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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