O'Reilly Opera Much Better Than Cats
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
O'PERATIC O'Reilly
While the sexual harassment allegations levied against Bill O'Reilly by former Fox News producer Andrea Mackris might seem like fodder for a made-for-TV movie, some have decided to elevate the he-said/she-said back-and-forth to a <a href="http://www.mackrisvoreilly.com/home.html
" target="_blank">more refined art form. Enter Igor Keller, a tenor saxophone player from Belltown, Washington, who has re-imagined the O'Reilly saga as a 31-part, concert-length baroque oratorio titled, rather theatrically, Mackris v. O'Reilly. Keller's opus doesn't cut any corners: The libretto opens with a reading of the original complaint filed by Mackris and runs through seven chorales, four recitatives, and numerous arias before the denouement, which features a dramatic reading of the settlement O'Reilly (played by Charles Robert Stephens, once hailed by the New York Times as a "baritone of smooth distinction") reached with Mackris.
Those who aren't quite sure they can stomach two hours of O'Reilly opera might be better advised to come in for the recitative and aria that comprise part 27, when the infamous loofah-as-falafel finally makes an appearance.