Even snakes have to audition for the opera at the Met. Princess the boa constrictor got the part
Princess, a larger sun-glow boa constrictor, won the audition and will join rehearsals on a trial basis, the Met said.
- On Aug. 28, 2026, the Metropolitan Opera selected a boa constrictor named Princess for a role in an adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera in New York.
- This adaptation, inspired by a 1950s Coney Island carnival, features performance artist Zoe Ziegfeld as the snake handler, who evaluates the snakes' demeanor face-to-face before rehearsals.
- Nancy Novograd of All Tame Animals provided the snakes, ensuring the chosen reptile has the right color, size, and temperament for stage performance.
- Princess, a larger yellow-peach boa constrictor, secured the role due to her visual presence, while a slightly smaller brown boa constrictor named Nala will serve as understudy.
- Having spent seasons performing on Coney Island, Ziegfeld, a former carnival performer who previously executed a Human Blockhead act, brings authentic experience to the opera's sideshow-themed production.
79 Articles
79 Articles
At the Met, snakes have to audition for the opera
Pretty much everyone on stage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York must audition — even the snake who would briefly take center stage in an upcoming adaptation of a Mozart classic.In charge of deciding who gets the s-s-s-s-starring reptilian role is Zoe Ziegfeld, a carnival performer-turned-opera a
A real snake underwent audition at the New York City Metropolitan Opera House, in preparation for participating in a new demonstration of the Cosie van Tote opera of Volfgang Amadius Mozart, in a short but pivotal role in the work.
Meet the carnival performer-turned-opera actor in charge of auditioning snakes for a Mozart adaptation. 'We will be moving forward with Princess'
Pretty much everyone on stage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York must audition — even the snake who will briefly take center stage in an upcoming adaptation of a Mozart classic. In charge of deciding who gets the s-s-s-s-starring reptilian role is Zoe Ziegfeld, a carnival performer-turned-opera actor cast as the snake handler in the Met’s version of “Così fan tutte,” inspired by Coney Island in the 1950s. Ziegfeld takes each snake, lets it sl…
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