Singing on ships

[nineveh_uk]

I am watching a broadcast of a Glyndebourne Billy Budd* that was on a couple of years ago, and being distracted by the following thoughts*:

(1) A lot of opera plots would be very different if their setting had a robust bullying and harassment policy.

(2) I want the fic when Captain Vere returns home and the Admiralty responds with "WTF, Vere? That's not the proper procedure."

(3) I've seen handsome Billy, and even young and darkly handsome Claggart***, but I'd love to see a performance that portrays Captain Vere as really, really good-looking and physically charismatic and the entire ship having a crush on him. It would go some way to explain why he is so idolised by the crew when we don't really see him do anything remarkable (at least in the first half), and be interesting to see handled in the Claggart/Vere/Billy triangle.

* Extracts on YouTube.

**On top of "Oh for goodness sake, Vere, just lie that the man had a heart attack and fell."

*** Phillips Ens in 1998, definitely the most tragic interpretion of the role I've seen. Ens was in this production, too, but at 15 years older obviously playing it differently.

Comments

[moon_custafer]

A lot of opera plots would be very different if their setting had a robust bullying and harassment policy.

I've always thought that miscommunication was the leading cause of opera, but you've got a point.

[nineveh_uk]

Miscommunication is often a default setting, it's true.

[naraht]

I don't know why, but all of your points made me want to read them... in a Starfleet Billy Budd AU. And for some reason I'm imagining Captain Vere as played by Jason Isaacs. I don't know, it's been a long day.

[nineveh_uk]

That is a brilliant idea! Jason Isaacs as a ruggedly handsome and extremely charismatic Vere (I could also see the more Adonis style working - Rupert Everett in his prime, perhaps) and the Starfleet setting would work brilliantly, certainly with the isolation that is such a key part of the original.

[naraht]

No doubt Patrick Stewart could, or could have, managed it too, but then he can manage most things.

[nineveh_uk]

I am sure that Patrick Stewart would be a splendid classic Vere, but in the specific context of drop dead gorgeous!Vere I think that he would need to have more hair.