# The Fry Chronicles: The Opera **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fry-chronicles-the-opera/591074 "2011-08-01T17:50:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fry-chronicles-the-opera/591074/1 "2011-08-01T17:50:13Z")
No, AFAIK this adaptation of [Stephen Fry’s ongoing series of memoirs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fry_Chronicles:_An_Autobiography) doesn’t actually exist and there are no plans to make it. (Pause while disappointed readers cuss out the OP.) However, in the spirit of **elfkin477** ’s [concurrent thread about long-expected but long-delayed book adaptations](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=618455), just because it doesn’t exist doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it. What are your suggestions for this hypothetical opera? Composer? Style? Characters (with voice parts) and cast? Libretto (Italian or English)? Favorite arias or scenes? To start the ball rolling, I vote for a mix of German Romantic/_opera buffa_-style comedy (natch), with bass-baritones [Shenyang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_(singer)) and [Bryn Terfel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryn_Terfel) sharing the title role as the younger and present-day Stephen Fry respectively. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fry-chronicles-the-opera/591074/2 "2011-08-01T22:28:26Z")
Well, since Stephen wrote the libretto for _Me and My Girl_, I think he could write this himself, as long as he isn’t expected to sing. I think there could be some fun scenes with a dramatic build from the score every time Fry and Laurie meet, only to fade as they pass each other by or mumble awkward hellos and move on. The finale would of course be Fry disappearing into a cloud of white, representing both the unknowable future and cocaine… ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fry-chronicles-the-opera/591074/3 "2011-08-02T18:36:17Z")
> [@maggenpye](#): > > Well, since Stephen wrote the libretto for _Me and My Girl_, I think he could write this himself, as long as he isn’t expected to sing. Absolutely. I like the idea of one or both of the Fry roles having an occasional scene where the character is expected to sing but can’t. See, the singer(s) playing him would be constantly pouring out beautiful rich arias/recitative/choruses/whatever to represent Fry **speaking** , but when the character has to attempt **singing** , it goes all tense and off-pitch and catastrophically unmusical. I think Bryn Terfel in particular could have a lot of fun with that. [QUOTE=maggenpye] I think there could be some fun scenes with a dramatic build from the score every time Fry and Laurie meet, only to fade as they pass each other by or mumble awkward hellos and move on. [/QUOTE] That would be cool. However, I’m having the damnedest time trying to cast the Hugh Laurie role (either young or present-day), or even settle on the voice part(s) for it. Maybe the younger Laurie would be a tenor and the present-day one a baritone? [QUOTE=maggenpye] The finale would of course be Fry disappearing into a cloud of white, representing both the unknowable future and cocaine… [/QUOTE] Yes, nice, for the Act I finale, perhaps. I do think that the complete timespan of the opera would have to cover at least his first fifty years. Partly because I want there to be a chorus of QI panelists—although I can’t figure out how to cast **them** , either! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fry-chronicles-the-opera/591074/4 "2011-08-03T16:34:03Z")
I thought this thread was going to be about Futurama. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fry-chronicles-the-opera/591074/5 "2011-08-03T20:21:23Z")
> [@The Man in Black](#): > > I thought this thread was going to be about Futurama. Considering the views-to-posts ratio for this thread, I bet a lot of other readers did too. I am happy to share the thread with any Futurama fans who want to discuss a hypothetical operatic version of the story of **their** Fry, but somehow I doubt there are going to be many of them. 🙂 Anyway, getting back to the original thread topic, I think I’ve cast the Hugh Laurie parts (both tenors): [Robin Titschler](http://www.askonasholt.co.uk/artists/singers/tenor/robin-tritschler) (tentatively) as the younger Laurie and [Ian Bostridge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bostridge) (definitely) as the present-day version.