Opera or Soap Opera?

As loyal readers of this blog know, I like opera, and my cousin and I went to see Carmen this week. I also happen to like a certain soap opera, which is the kind of thing that I tend not to publicize. However, I got to thinking about Carmen and General Hospital, and saw some comparisons in the realms of character archetypes, backstabbing (ha! literally and figuratively), and jealousy. Here's how the two stack up:
(Edward Gorey, The Blue Aspic)

Beginnings
C--Georges Bizet, premiered March 1875 in Paris, was critically panned. Revived in Vienna in October, to a much better reception (Bizet had died by that point, at the age of 36. Sad). Currently the fourth most performed opera in North America.
GH--premiered in 1963 on ABC, originally a half-hour length, and then shifted to an hour. According to wikipedia, Princess Diana used to watch the show, and sent 2 bottles of champagne for the producers in honor of Luke and Laura's wedding.

Settings and Sets
C--Seville, Spain, 1830s. This new production has updated to around the 1930's, I would guess. The sets for this production are amazing. A lot of rotating stone walls and red accents, which is fairly simple but looks great. The costumes are subtle, for the most part, although Carmen's dress in the final act is glorious--long, black, lacy, with a red line down the side. The curtain also is black with a jagged, red lighting bolt down the center, which is a nice touch too (Carmen being the lightening bolt that sets everything in motion, or on fire. Whichever cliche you prefer.)
GH--Port Charles, New York, present day. It is set mostly in the hospital (duh) and then a few people's homes, which tend to all look pretty similar, at least to me. The sets have obviously changed a bit in the past 30 years. (I told you the sets were cool! Courtesy of the NYTimes)

The Femme Fatale
C--Carmen, of course! Her femme fatale-ness is the whole point. She's too hot to be controlled, and too much of a temptress to live. Like the bull that the torreador entices and then kills, Carmen has to be sacrificed for society to continue unhampered. I hate this message, but it's a good plot for drama.
GH--most of the women, with their multiple marriages, bad mothering skills, and catty ways. Elizabeth is kind of taking the cake this year, by cheating on her fiance with his brother. There are many other examples. However, most of the bad guys, are just that--guys. Claudia Zacchara is the only woman I can think of that is (well, was) truly dastardly. Other than those random nurses that occasionally poison their patients.

Violence
C--Carmen and the bull are the only two fatalities, and Carmen and another cigarette girl do get in a fist and hairpulling fight. The soldiers are creepy and are certainly capable of violence, but it's not really shown.
GH--oh, lots. Considering one of the main characters is a mob boss, there are a lot of whackings (usually not by him, usually by his hired guns.) Add in the occasional car crash or poisoning (see above) and that is the gist of the show.

Racism
C--there is definite tension between the gypsies (Carmen is one) and the lighter-skinned Spanish. It is implied that Carmen is so wanton because of her gypsy ways.
GH--are there even any minorities on this show?? I guess there is one African-American nurse. That might be it though. So...racism, in a way?

Religion
C--surprisingly little. More concerned with tangible things; I don't think Don Jose was too worried about eternal damnation when he kills Carmen. Don Jose's original, pious girlfriend, Michaela, is set up as an obvious foil to Carmen.
GH--there is a priest (the same priest) who shows up for all weddings, funerals, christenings, etc. It is at these gatherings where violence (see above) often happens, as the town is then in a collective group. Sonny Corinthos (the mobster) spends a lot of time in the hospital chapel, as he is usually in the hospital waiting for news on someone he shot/some relative that got shot in his place/some victim of a hit gone wrong.


(ah, L'amour est un oiseau rebelle/que nul ne peut apprivoiser. Sonny knows it.)

Worthy of Accolades
C--as mentioned, the setting is amazing. The Carmen and Don Jose we saw both had colds, but honestly, I couldn't really tell. It's a weird opera in that there are only a few main characters, but with a lot of crowd scenes, and I thought the crowd scenes were exceptionally good...how you get that many adults and children to work together like that is beyond me.
GH--is it realistic? At all? Well, no. But give it an A+ for gumption.

Any opera/soap opera crossovers?
C--on the dramatic front, the original singers who were supposed to be Don Jose and Carmen had to be rearranged because they were married in real life and were getting a divorce. So the Met kept Don Jose and brought in 2 other Carmen's for the first few performances. And the NEW Carmen got amazing reviews (we couldn't get tickets for her performances).
GH--Lulu Spencer and Dante Falconeri recently went to the opera on a date. I actually missed this episode, so I wasn't sure what opera they went to, but after typing "lulu dante opera" into google, I have learned that they saw Puccini's La Boheme. I am both impressed and disturbed that other people were wondering about their opera as well...

Yes, it is sort of hard to compare the two genres--one is centuries old, rife with history, grandeur, glamour, and gore, and the other is, well, sort of silly. But they are both tremendous fun.

Also, I believe the reason that I cannot remember German verbs or when Mannerism ends and Baroque begins is because my brain cells are too occupied trying to figure out which Quartermaines and Cassadines hate each other, and why.

For even MORE irreverence, check out the orange from Sesame Street singing La Habanera here. I'm pretty sure Frank Oz is the one singing.