I think if you want to turn Traviata into an Alfredo/Violetta two hander, you want Germont to be a little incoherent, more of a plot device than a character. Otherwise it becomes much more a family drama than a love story. Which is a risky path, Traviata doesn't have as interesting secondary characters as, say, La Boheme does so if you want the whole thing to rest on Alfredo and Violetta, you really have to trust that your stars can carry the show. But it is an approach that can work, Traviata can be incredibly romantic.

I've only watched the first two acts of the Fleming Traviata you sent me, but yeah... I think the way Fleming plays those final scenes of Act I, she's not surprised that Alfredo cares about her, she's weighing whether or not she is willing to act on those feelings. But I like the idea of a Violetta who's so estranged herself from the idea of love that she can't even comprehend the idea that someone loves her.


Also, I have a brand new set of consumptive heroine feels fresh off reading a book about Robert Koch's efforts to identify the tuberculosis bacteria and cure the disease. Oh, 19th century imagination of the female mind, why are you so fucked up?