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with me. No chance, Freddie boy.
I signed in and met other aspiring
supers. I could tell right away that the
competition was meager.
made my operatic debut Sunday
We were lined up by the director,
at the Michigan Opera Theater.
Mario Corradi,
Oh, what an
who started
evening! As music filled
casting roles.
the theater and I stepped onto
Suddenly, I dis-
the stage, I could feel the crit-
covered I was
ical and unforgiving eyes of
the only one left
the shadowy figures in the
— I was stand-
audience analyzing my every
ing alone with
move.
no part.
Beads of sweat rolled down
First came
my back under my costume.
panic and then
But I was determined: The
the realization
audience would not intimi-
that he was sav-
date me. I would show them
ing me. And
— and I did.
sure enough,
Okay, so my total stage
asking me to
time was about two minutes.
stand between
No, I didn't sing. I guess I
Lebowitz and
also have to confess that I did-
Jim Slowik, a
n't have any lines — not a
Huntington
peep.
Woods
federal
But if anyone out there
agent and also
thinks being an extra — a
an opera "vet,"
walk-on called a supernumer-
he immediately
ary, "super" for short — is a
elevated me —
piece of cake, well, they just
a nice Jewish
don't understand show busi-
Berl Falbaum as the cardinal in
boy — to play
ness.
the part of the
But let's start at the begin- the MOT production.
cardinal.
ning.
Lebowitz, also a nice Jewish boy but not
After learning from choir member
as nice as me, and Slowik were "appoint-
Ray Litt, at a West Bloomfield party,
ed" bishops — my bishops.
that the MOT uses supers for operas, I
Next step: the fitting for costumes.
wrote last fall, indicating my desire to
Three tailoring experts worked with me
participate. I hinted that I represented
on my costume — the gowns and cape,
undiscovered talent.
miter, gloves, rings and shoes. They
It took them six months but the
knew
who they were dealing with, and
MOT finally recognized its mistake in
that I wanted perfection. I would not
not using me. I received a letter in early
tolerate even one loose thread.
April that I was — sight unseen — in
But I must admit that that red, jew-
Tosca. My reputation must have preced-
eled cape was heavy. I always thought
ed me.
the somewhat pained expression on the
In mid-April, I drove down for cast-
faces of the princes of the church repre-
ing and in the parking lot met Fred, a
sented religiosity. Actually, they are suf-
former school administrator in
fering under the weight of their clothes.
Southfield, who told me Tosca would be
Then came the first rehearsal. My
his fifth opera. He was obviously trying
to impress me as well as play mind tricks scene involved a large procession with
about 75 people at the very end of Act I.
The cardinal is the focal point. As
Bed Falbaum is a part-time journalism
Corradi
directed the scene, I could tell
instructor at Wayne State University,
how
pleased
he was with me as I gave
who writes political commentary for area
the
required
three
blessings with the
newspapers and operates a Farmington
monstrance
(receptacle
that holds the
Hills public relations company.

BERL FALBAUM
Special to the Jewish News