Yesterday, the radio opera was Mozart’s “Le Nozze de Figaro,” usually translated “The Marriage of Figaro,” but more accurately “Figaro’s Wedding.” I didn’t know a soul in it – usually I know someone. I went to school with a Liz Bishop, but it can’t be the same. Yes, the character has to be old enough to be Figaro’s mother, because the is Figaro’s mother, but the Liz Bishop I knew would be 80, old enough to be his grandmother or maybe even great grandmother. Plus, this Elizabeth Bishop was raised in North Carolina, not California. In any case, it doesn’t matter. The opera, like the play on which it was based was scandalously revolutionary at the time, and Mozart needed special permission from the Emperor to stage it. Servants objecting to the wishes of a nobleman? And outwitting him in the end? Horrors! One of the plot points is the jus primae noctis, which was an actual thing in European history (one could apparently pay to get out of it. But it’s also a plot point that Figaro didn’t have money.) I don’t know exactly when it was abolished so it could have still been customary at the time the story is set. In any case, it’s tough to go wrong with Mozart. One aria from this opera became the Macarena of its day – so overplayed that even Mozart joked about it. His sense of humor may not have been very sophisticated, but he certainly had one and it was robust. Then, later in the day, Theater of War streamed a live event (and recorded audio available any time,) and then after that there was the “NOT the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.” And I took in a grocery order which was over an hour late. It’s a wonder I managed to get this posted.
I would like to have “biglier” good news than the revocation of previous bad news to share. But this is a pretty consequential revocation, and I’m very relieved to see it.
In regard to the new contract for the Chicago Teachers Union, you may have to take my word for it that this is a huge (yooge?) win for teachers – and therefore for everyone. I was alerted to this by an email from “The Labor Force” which said (among other glowing praise) “This victory proves that even in times like these, we can fight, and we can win.” It also pointed out that CTU is spearheading a “May Day Strong” day of national action which you can learn about at this link, and find events near you. May Day, of course is Labor Day everywhere in the world except here. For a city that so much of what you hear about it is “violent crime,” I continue to be impressed by how progressive Chicago can be.
