Aw, no apologies necessary, and not just because your post led to our salon. But I'm glad you've seen the play in performance now and thus can appreciate the "Sire, geben Sie Gedankenfreiheit!" scene with Posa and so much else, since Schiller really wrote this to be staged.
Posa and Carlos and Elisabeth were all (relatively) super young
*nods* As you say, you can't do this in opera, but you can on stage. Mind you, the age for actors playing Philip goes the whole rigmarole from men in their 40s to men in their 80s. (He wasn't that old, historically, since he had Carlos when he was still a young teenage prince, but never mind history. Schiller's Philip is old in spirit more than in body, but he does need to be a generation older than Elisabeth and Carlos physically, too.
Elisabeth/Posa sub- or maintext: well, I'm as yet unfamiliar with this particular producton, but textually, I can see both of them being at least very drawn to each other, though with a romantic dimension only being in their subconscious. (Which is why in my story when Eboli says "you loved him, too", I had Elisabeth be uncertain for a moment whether Ebobli means Carlos or Posa.)
Shouty!Carlos: alas I think most stagings direct their Carlos to be as emo as possible as a contrast to Posa, and he really does not need any additionally actorly emo given his dialogue! He's such a Sturm-und-Drang-Jüngling, and about the only production where the actor is allowed to tone it down now and then that I recall watching is the not-Regietheater costume tv one - and since it's been decades and that was my first Don Carlos, I might misrenember!
Ending with the Inquisitor scene: now that's radical. (Especially since Schiller is famous for his cutting last lines - in this case "Kardinal, ich habe das meine getan - tun Sie das Ihre!") But yes, if they don't have a good enough Carlos (who needs to show in this last scene that now he's actually willing, able and determined to be the King Posa wanted him to be, that he's up to it, so that his fate, too, is a tragedy) and he has no chemistry with Elisabeth, I can see that. Genderbending the Inquisitor is a fascinating idea!
On amore frivolous note, ever since Benigni and the Oscoars, I've wondered how one does jumps over chairs this way as a normal human being. :)
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Date: 2021-08-02 06:27 am (UTC)Posa and Carlos and Elisabeth were all (relatively) super young
*nods* As you say, you can't do this in opera, but you can on stage. Mind you, the age for actors playing Philip goes the whole rigmarole from men in their 40s to men in their 80s. (He wasn't that old, historically, since he had Carlos when he was still a young teenage prince, but never mind history. Schiller's Philip is old in spirit more than in body, but he does need to be a generation older than Elisabeth and Carlos physically, too.
Elisabeth/Posa sub- or maintext: well, I'm as yet unfamiliar with this particular producton, but textually, I can see both of them being at least very drawn to each other, though with a romantic dimension only being in their subconscious. (Which is why in my story when Eboli says "you loved him, too", I had Elisabeth be uncertain for a moment whether Ebobli means Carlos or Posa.)
Shouty!Carlos: alas I think most stagings direct their Carlos to be as emo as possible as a contrast to Posa, and he really does not need any additionally actorly emo given his dialogue! He's such a Sturm-und-Drang-Jüngling, and about the only production where the actor is allowed to tone it down now and then that I recall watching is the not-Regietheater costume tv one - and since it's been decades and that was my first Don Carlos, I might misrenember!
Ending with the Inquisitor scene: now that's radical. (Especially since Schiller is famous for his cutting last lines - in this case "Kardinal, ich habe das meine getan - tun Sie das Ihre!") But yes, if they don't have a good enough Carlos (who needs to show in this last scene that now he's actually willing, able and determined to be the King Posa wanted him to be, that he's up to it, so that his fate, too, is a tragedy) and he has no chemistry with Elisabeth, I can see that. Genderbending the Inquisitor is a fascinating idea!
On amore frivolous note, ever since Benigni and the Oscoars, I've wondered how one does jumps over chairs this way as a normal human being. :)