Kelly Clarkson’s recent battle with her record company, which refuses to release her new album till she makes some changes to it, is nothing new. Artists have fought cash-dispensing execs and fickle audiences for centuries. Way back in 1853, Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata baffled opera fans, who stayed far away from the theater after its opening. Verdi retreated and reworked much of the play, surfacing with the classic version that’s delighted crowds for nearly 150 years. Opera Cleveland opens its production of the show – about a rich girl, a poor boy, and their tragic love affair – tonight. It’s a real weeper, so get the Kleenex ready.
Fri., June 15, 8 p.m.; Sun., June 17, 2 p.m.; Wed., June 20, 8 p.m.; Sat., June 23, 8 p.m.
This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2007.