Book Review: "Changing the Score: Arias, Prima Donnas, and the Authority of Performance," by Hilary Poriss

Perhaps there is a historical precedent for giving divas the freedom and flexibility that they demand, without complaint from opera administrators, directors, and others on the creative team-but this might initiate a fall down a slippery slope, provoking even more unrest within the opera house through a validation of the power trips and tantrums already known to occur behind the scenes. The underlying narrative of the chapter is of Ungher's "quest" to find the perfect entrance aria for her character, Elena, because, as Poriss s, "the ability to make a fabulous entrance is one of those critical elements that separates the iconic diva from the rest of the pack, a skill that all actresses and opera singers cultivate, but that only exceptional ones master."