February 1, 2002

9:25 PM

Live chickens slaughtered during opera.You got a problem with that? The audience members at the opera in Bonn did. In fact, the opera house could face criminal charges. Who says opera isn't still a living killer art form?
posted by UrbanFigaro (15 comments total)

Great. Now we have people choking their chickens onstage. John Ashcroft and Karen Davis must be wetting their collective Depends right now.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:33 PM on February 1, 2002

Hmm...isn't the "live" redundant in that sentence? :)
posted by rushmc at 9:34 PM on February 1, 2002

Not really, rushmc. It's to differentiate between prop chickens and live chickens, both of which could be 'slaughtered' onstage. ;)
posted by UrbanFigaro at 9:51 PM on February 1, 2002

the people love their meats, but they never want it killed in front of them.

wonder how many of these people who complained were wearing minks and the like?
posted by jcterminal at 10:01 PM on February 1, 2002

...Or how many of them enjoyed an elegant chicken dinner before the opera?
posted by evanizer at 10:08 PM on February 1, 2002

I don't mind as long as they ate them.
posted by MaddCutty at 10:23 PM on February 1, 2002

I know some opera singers. I am only surprised they weren't swallowed whole during a particularly lugubrious recitative.
posted by umberto at 10:37 PM on February 1, 2002

thats SO ozzy osbourne.
posted by quonsar at 11:09 PM on February 1, 2002

yeah, i'd have to call ozzy's preferred method of singing a lugubrious recitative
posted by nonreflectiveobject at 12:01 AM on February 2, 2002

The calls to hypocrisy are pretty unconvincing. Germany like any other civilized nation has animal anti-cruelty laws and their own version of the animal welfare act. The imporant part here is why the animal was killed. I think it would be a sad day when we could dismiss this because this animal is eaten everyday. The comparision fails because a poultry farm follows laws and regulations to produce what you get at the grocery store. Killing live animals for entertainment and sport is most likely illegal, regardless of the animal. I'd hate to see a real dog get shot with a real 9mm in some b-movie because the director wanted realism.

In the end, they probably can't or shouldn't eat an animal killed this way. Who knows how long it sat at room temperature after it was killed, arguably cruely. After a certain point it would be a bad idea to gut and cook an animal that's been sitting dead on the set of the opera all day under hot lights, etc.
posted by skallas at 12:20 AM on February 2, 2002

I'd pay to see them turn Luciano Pavarotti on a spit. Maybe in a performance of La Bohemoth.
posted by pracowity at 1:40 AM on February 2, 2002

Why the fuss? Is it because it upset the delicate sensibilities of the middle class opera goer? Awwr - shame!
How the hell am I going to produce my operatic work about the honest toil of a churlish slaughterman now?
posted by Arqa at 11:08 PM on February 2, 2002

The Butcher of Seville?
posted by rushmc at 1:00 AM on February 3, 2002

Are you sure it wasn't Miami?
posted by owillis at 1:58 AM on February 3, 2002

Madama Butterball?
posted by pracowity at 2:57 AM on February 4, 2002