Metropolitan Opera selects a boa constrictor for starring role after auditions
The Metropolitan Opera held auditions for the snake that will appear in its new production of “Così fan tutte,” choosing a large yellow-peach boa named Princess.
For the Metropolitan Opera’s carnival-themed staging of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” every performer, including the live snake, underwent an audition process. Zoe Ziegfeld, the opera’s snake-handler, tested the temperament and appearance of each boa before deciding on Princess, a large yellow-peach boa, to take the central reptilian role. A brown boa named Nala will act as Princess’s understudy.
The show transports the classic plot to a 1950s Coney Island fair, complete with vivid scenery and sideshow acts. Nancy Novograd’s firm All Tame Animals supplied the snakes, drawing on its experience providing animals for past Met productions. Ziegfeld, a former carnival performer, highlighted the need for the animal to be comfortable with both people and stage lighting.
Why it matters
It shows how major cultural institutions integrate live animals into productions, balancing artistic vision with animal welfare.
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