A boa constrictor named Princess has won a role at New York’s Metropolitan Opera after auditioning for a part in Mozart’s Così fan tutte.
The snake will appear briefly in the production, which relocates the 1790 opera to a Coney Island-inspired amusement park in the 1950s. A second boa, Nala, has been chosen as understudy.
Princess wins the Metropolitan Opera audition
The auditions were overseen by Zoe Ziegfeld, a carnival performer and opera actor who plays a snake charmer in the production. Each animal was handled, lifted and observed under conditions designed to resemble its appearance on stage.
Ziegfeld assessed how comfortably the snakes responded to people, bright lights and physical contact before making a decision.
“I need to know that the animal is comfortable with people and with what we are doing,” Ziegfeld said.
Princess, a large yellow-peach boa constrictor, was selected for her size and stronger visual presence. Nala, a slightly smaller brown boa, will be ready to take over if required.
“We will be moving forward with Princess … in rehearsals on a trial basis,” Ziegfeld wrote after the auditions. “She is a wonderful snake, and the trial is not about her, but rather about me and my strength.”
The auditions took place at the Metropolitan Opera on 28 August, ahead of the production’s return to the company’s stage. The Met’s staging, directed by Phelim McDermott, presents Mozart’s comedy amid the colour and spectacle of a mid-century seaside fairground.
From Coney Island sideshow to opera house
Ziegfeld has performed as a snake charmer on Coney Island, giving as many as eight shows a day over several seasons. They first secured the opera role several years ago, when live snakes were not permitted in the audition room.
Instead, Ziegfeld showed a video of their act and demonstrated their sideshow credentials with a Human Blockhead performance, hammering a nail into their nasal cavity.
“The music’s different. The money is different. It’s a pleasure to entertain,” Ziegfeld said. “And with snakes, it’s a delight to know that there are people watching who are in awe and people who are terrified.”
The animals were supplied by Nancy Novograd and her company, All Tame Animals, which provides performers for productions including the Met. Novograd entered the business after her own horse appeared on stage in Carmen.
She said animal performers were judged not only on their appearance and behaviour but also on how they interacted with the human cast.
“Animals have to perform as do human talent,” Novograd said. “Sometimes they have a set type of behaviours that they have to demonstrate. And sometimes they just have to get along with the talent.”
