US soprano, offended by blackface, pulls out of Italy opera
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Because blackface was used in the staging of a separate piece this summer on the same stage,
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soprano Angel Blue has said she won't appear in an opera in Italy this month.
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The American singer announced on her angeljoyblue Instagram page that -
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she would be withdrawing from this month's performance of "La Traviata" at Verona's Arena since the
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theatre previously staged another Giuseppe Verdi opera, "Aida," which had actors wearing blackface.
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Such "archaic" theatrical techniques, she criticised, were "offensive, degrading, and downright racist."
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On the Arena's website, however, Angel Blue was still listed as singing the part of Violetta on July 22 and 30 in "La Traviata."
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The theatre expressed its desire for Blue, a Black actor, to accept an invitation to speak with Arena representatives in a "conversation" about the matter.
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The Arena said it had "no cause nor purpose whatsoever to offend and disturb anyone's sensitivity" in a statement on Friday.