+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "Editorial"
date = "2016-02-10T15:38:00+00:00"
lastmod = "2016-03-01T16:03:00+00:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1455120643979/2016-02-10---Pinecone.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2016-02-10T21:50:00+00:00"
related_articles = ["articles/true-stories-the-critic-who-loves-opera-even-more-now.md","articles/in-review-lucia-di-lammermoor-at-roh.md","articles/gimmicks-tactics-discouraging-the-new-.md","articles/opera-meanies-the-august-edition.md","articles/bodyshaming-productselling-knowing-the-difference.md"]
related_companies = ["scene/companies/english-national-opera.md"]
related_people = ["scene/people/tara-erraught.md","scene/people/alice-coote.md"]
short_description = "It&#039;s almost a good thing that we now have this example of critics body-shaming a male singer, since we can put to rest some of the sexism claims that accompany criticism of women onstage. I&#039;ve often thought that when you boil down an objection about a fat person falling in love, or some dumb variation on this &quot;problem&quot;, you really just peel back the truth about the objector, who&#039;s letting the world know that they actually feel this way."
slug = "once-agan-shushing-meanies"
title = "Once again, shushing meanies"
+++

We've written before about opera critics, and how they can be mean folks sometimes. Two summers ago, critics who saw *Der Rosenkavalier* at Glyndebourne were griping about mezzo-soprano [Tara Erraught's body](/when-critics-are-jerks/), calling her "dumpy" and "stocky".

At last year's BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, [the commentators](/catty-commentary-or-whats-not-useful-for-opera/) (and fellow singers!) used phrases such as "like a bulldozer" and "she may well have been singing the phone directory," to appear witty in their unhelpful, à-la-Joan-Rivers-on-the-red-carpet feedback.

Star mezzo [Alice Coote](/talking-with-singers-alice-coote/) even took the time to [write an open letter](http://slippedisc.com/2014/05/alice-coote-an-open-letter-to-opera-critics/) to mean critics, reminding them that "OPERA is ALL about the voice."

Yesterday, tenor [Allan Clayton](https://twitter.com/fatboyclayton), currently singing Tamino in [English National Opera's *The Magic Flute*](https://www.eno.org/whats-on/15-16/the-magic-flute), found perhaps a better way of dealing with jerks, in this case Barry Millington of *Evening Standard*. It's a response that takes about as much time as quips like this deserve:

<figure>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Barry Millington <a href="https://twitter.com/standardnews">@standardnews</a> can fuck off. <a href="https://t.co/K0uecP3uxu">pic.twitter.com/K0uecP3uxu</a></p>&mdash; Allan Clayton (@fatboyclayton) <a href="https://twitter.com/fatboyclayton/status/697218918721699842">February 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>

It's that thing about not being able to let a compliment just sit there; mean critics have to add a "but" or "yet", just to make sure they've fully expounded on their point.

I'm trying to imagine what the review would look like if Millington had witnessed the opposite at *The Magic Flute*; if he'd seen a ripped-Spartan-style tenor who sang flat and pinched all night, I anticipate that he would use the show as a platform to talk about the demise of opera singers, and the prioritization of body-type over voice. English National Opera would be under fire for its "poor casting", I imagine.

It's almost a good thing that we now have this example of critics body-shaming a male singer, since we can put to rest some of the sexism claims that accompany criticism of women onstage. It seems that the problem is just with "unattractive" people being a protagonist in live theatre. I've often thought that when you boil down an objection about a fat person falling in love, or some dumb variation on this "problem", you really just peel back the truth about the *objector*, who's letting the world know that they *actually* feel this way. If it's hard for someone to imagine a prince with a spare tire, or a size-12 lady experiencing love at first sight, one has to ask why. 

Basically, if you don't believe a love story between two imperfect people, there's a good chance you've never fallen in love. If you think the problem is because she's too tall or he's too fat, there's a good chance that you value physical appearance (of oneself *and* one's partner) over a lot of other things. And if the opera isn't a love story, is the objection really about non-model people telling stories?

Maybe these critics are watching...wait for it...to much TV?
