I’ve discovered the ultimate cure for the blues – get in your car, start driving, and sing along to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun.’ But wait! Before you grab those keys and head out the door, there’s a catch: sing it with gusto, sing it with power, sing it… like an opera star.
I swear, you won’t be able to go five words before giggling uncontrollably. It’s fantastic! Of course, other drivers might see you alternating between serious melodrama and fits of laughter, thus thinking that you’re certifiable. But never fear; you’ll know that they’re just missing out on the best thing since sliced bread.
This leads to my belief that someone should produce an 80’s-palooza opera. Think just how entertaining it would be to hear a deep baritone belt, ‘You spin me right round, baby, right round!’ Or how about a tenor singing an aria to his love, to the tune of ‘Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car’? What about a full-on chorus of The Fine Young Cannibals’ classic, ‘She Drives Me Crazy’? It could be absolute opera gold! Watch yourself, Andrew Lloyd Webber! Step aside, Puccini! And don’t even think about it, Mozart! You may have gotten Figaro married, but did you marry the extravagent theatricality of opera with the pure musical genius of the 1980’s? I think not!
But what would my opera’s plot line be? Surely there’d be at least one love triangle, a whole heckuva lot of hairspray (for those big scary 80’s ‘do’s), some brightly colored leggings, a denim jacket or two, and a definite upsurge in the use of synthesizers. But is that enough for a story? If it’s enough to fill a crappy movie like ’13 Going on 30’, then it’s certainly enough for an opera!
Anybody got any ideas? What classic 80’s songs would you want to hear sung all bombastically? What characters should have cameos? (Let it be officially known that our first nomination is Max Headroom.) Plot line ideas? And, if it were possible, which part would be reserved for the great Maria Callas? Get those brains moving beneath that mountain of Flock of Seagulls hair! You know you can! 🙂
In my opinion you have to use something off Queen’s ‘The Miracle’. It’s not well known but exemplifies 80’s pop, aside from being a really fun listen.
As for the opera, there must be tragedy…and pyrotechnics. I’m thinking a huge, ghastly, firey hairspray accident. Just picture it–a whole cheerleading squad gets two lines into ‘Ooh Mickey’ by Toni Basil and Whoosh! Flaming batons, pom poms and bangs!
Heather – In case I haven’t mentioned this recently, You Rock!!! This is pure brilliance. I agree with you an the Girls Just Want To Have Fun thing (my tears turned to laughter).
Personally, I’d would make it an operetta rather than an opera and I’d have the spoken parts be the lyrics of songs. For instance one character would woo a female counterpart by passionately saying the words to Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”
As for the music part, here are the songs I’d be tempted to use (all sung very hammily of course):
867-5309, Take on me, The Love Shack, Blister In the Sun, I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight, Voices Cary, Hot For Teacher, It’s Raining Men, Sweet Dreams (are made of these),It’s the End of the Word as We know It (And I feel fine), Every Body Have Fun Tonight (everybody wang chun tonigh), Red Red Wine, Eye of the Tiger, Just a Gigalo, I Just Called To Say I Love You, What’s Love Got To Do, It Must Have Been Love, Centerfold , If You Don’t Know Me By Now, Sunglasses at Night, Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong, Mexican Radio, Mr Roboto, Sister Christian, 99 Luftballoons,When Doves Cry, Goody Two Shoes (aka Don’t Drink, Don’t Smoke What Do You Do?), Something by Air Supply (sung even more sappy and earnestly than they did it – it would be hysterical. Perhaps that “Don’t Say the Morning’s Come” song)
I agree he plot would of course be a love triangle, but you’d also need a Sandra Dee type character who has a moral quandry and changes a great dealwill allow for songs like (Goody Two Shoes, Sister Christian and ultimately Centerfold)
The Go-Gos. “Our Lips Are Sealed.” Yeah…I’d pay money for that.
Okay, so I’m spending way too much time on this, but I have a basic plot and rather than a love triangle I’ve gone with a universally tragic love pentagon. But here’s my other fun thought–since the songs don’t lend themselves well as dialogue, what if every bit of dialogue is direct quotes from 80’s movies? It breaks up the singing and becomes a challenging trivia game.