Good news for opera geeks

Very interesting news for opera fans: Hollywood heavyweights Woody Allen, David Cronenberg and William Friedkin will all be directing productions for the Los Angeles Opera during the 2008/2009 season. Allen and Friedkin (known foremost for the cult horror flick The Exorcist) will both be tackling Puccini’s Il Trittico (which is comprised of three, one-act operas). Woody will direct Gianno Schicchi while Will will take on Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica. The Canuck, Cronenberg, has the very interesting task of directing the American première of the operatic version of his 1986 flick The Fly. The LAO’s general director, world renown tenor Placido Domingo, expressed his enthusiasm: "I'm tremendously excited about our 2008/09 season because it is full of adventure,” he was quoted by the World Entertainment News Network as saying. “[It’s] the kind of musical and theatrical exploration, which appeals not only to established opera lovers but might be the right kind of lure for potentially new audiences."