LA Opera's A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Star, Renée Fleming Talks With with Los Angeles Magazine

Superstar opera singer Renée Fleming tells Los Angeles magazine what it's like to sing for rowdy football fans and seasoned operagoers in the same year. Right now, she's getting ready to star as Blanche DuBois in the L.A. Opera's contemporary production of A Streetcar Named Desire (May 18, 21, 24).

What is the Los Angeles opera scene like?
I am very excited about bringing Streetcar to Los Angeles because it's a piece I love very much. I've done a lot of concerts in L.A., but I haven't sung opera here in a long time. I'm one of the few New Yorkers who isn't afraid to say I really love L.A. There's a big competition between L.A. and New York, and New Yorkers always think they have the upper hand, but I think L.A. is beautiful.

How does this performance of A Streetcar Named Desire differ from the stage play?
It's so different. Opera enables the drama to really increase because the music can create an atmosphere that's completely over the top. Tennessee Williams's plays are already operatic. When you add the music and staging it can be very realistic and more evocative.

Did Streetcar feel different from operas you've performed in the past?
I'm always playing a period role where I'm wearing a huge costume and I've got a big wig. I almost never get to do parts that are this contemporary so it's fun. Even picking up a cigarette is unheard of in any other opera. The whole scene with Stanley is larger than life. There's so much tension in the music, and the opera can make the extremes and the drama even greater. This production will make a great first opera for many people.

You recently made history as the first opera singer invited to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. How was the experience?
It was unbelievable! It was sort of terrifying and a huge responsibility, but it was totally worth the angst.

Do you think your appearance at the Super Bowl shined more light on opera for average Americans?
That's the best-case scenario. I actually met someone the other day who told me their neighbor went out and bought two of my CDs. They had never heard of opera before! That's what I want to hear.

Watch Ms. Fleming's groundbreaking Super Bowl performance.

Read the rest of this enlightening and entertaining Q&A with "The People's Diva" on LAMag.com.

(Reprinted with permission from Los Angeles magazine)

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