Willie Stark goes to Hollywood

While I was watching this opera I kept trying to think of whom, all of these characters reminded me of, or who I would cast in place of the original roles. It’s funny that in watching Willie Stark, an opera, the only people I could think of were actors from film, and I’m relatively certain that none of them can really sing like these roles would require. For Willie Stark I kept thinking of Tom Hanks and the character he played in Charlie Wilson’s War. They both play very charismatic southerners and take part in some rather unsavory activities, and I could see Tom Hanks being a good match. The role of Jack Burden would go to James Franco, and Jack’s father, Judge Burden, would be played by Brian Dennehy. Anne Stanton was a tough one for me, I never really felt like I got a clear sense of who her character was. With that said I’m sort of leaning towards Scarlett Johansson, I think she would be able to play the two timing girlfriend of Jack, and the loving, yet apprehensive girlfriend of Willie Stark.

I think part of what makes me think of this opera as a movie, and surprisingly, a movie with a non musical cast, is because the opera in so many ways reminded me of characters from other movies I have seen, as well as the way the orchestration functioned almost like a film score. I remember reading in one of the articles that the music wasn’t really in the forefront of the opera. When the characters were singing, I disagree with that statement; I felt that the way the orchestra and voices worked together was very effective. However, when there was spoken dialogue or nothing really going on onstage, I feel like the orchestra helped to create intensity and tension, just like it would in a film score. At times I wasn’t even particularly aware that there was any music playing, but when I noticed the music in the background, I realized how effective it was at helping create and echo the tone of the drama unfolding on stage. The entire opera just seemed very movie-esque to me, and I liked that.