Linda Ronstadt took a whack at opera back in 1984 in a weird Shakespeare in the Park (?) production of Puccini's "La Boheme." "Boheme" is a good beginning for both a singer and for a newcomer to listening to opera. The roles are not overly difficult and the plot is uncomplicated and essentially timeless (think young poets, painters, and others trying to break into the arts, and their struggles and romances—maybe hippies, but in the middle of mid-1800s Paris). Well—Bohemians.

But this production was a bit weird in a number of respects, and this, combined with Ronstadt's newness to this kind of performing, didn't inspire her with confidence. Critics said that she was "tentative and uncertain" and noted that her lack of confidence in the production itself was undoubtedly largely responsible for this. Not really her fault if her opera debut was, at best, "iffy."

I saw her in a film clip (Classic Arts Showcase--sort of MTV for adults) doing a couple of songs in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" and she was really good in that. Really nailed the songs and the acting. Charming!

Critics also suggested that, rather than opera, Miss Ronstadt might be better off going for musical theater, like Rogers and Hammerstein, Gershwin, and such. Her voice, lovely though it was, was a bit light for opera, whereas in her concerts, she managed Broadway show songs very nicely.

Newsweek article from 1984: Clicky.

And then--Parkinson's! Damn!!

Don Firth