A soprano in praise of Verdi bikinis

Putting on “the bikini” again tomorrow for Nannetta at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden ! I’ll admit that when the director first told me that my costume would be a bikini for Acts I & II, I panicked! The physical act of singing and using one’s diaphragm to support each note doesn’t necessarily look flattering according to today’s beauty standards…but as the director explained his concept of Nannetta to me and wanting to showcase this youthful quality she possesses along with Fenton, I quickly understood that I needed to play HER in this outfit rather than myself. I needed to stop worrying about my own insecurities as Nadine and show exactly how I envision Nannetta as being confident, young, vibrant, clever, and beautiful. This shift in mentality worked and gave me so many things to play with, that I actually LOVE my bikini scenes now! I feel like I can easily serve the character now, thus serving the music Verdi set to the libretto. With this, I feel like I’ve gained some confidence in myself that maybe I didn’t realize I could have; the confidence to be bold no matter what my characters wear and show off my own imperfections with grace. Afterall, I love being only human