Gilliam Directing Andrea Chénier

Next July, patrons of La Scala will be blessed to see the first opera directed by Terry Gilliam. Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier is "the tale of a poet guillotined during the French revolution."

Talking to The Guardian, Gilliam said:

They want me for my cinematic eye, but the fact remains that I am a complete amateur when it comes to opera, so we will be leaving out vegetables and fruit for the audience to throw.

I saw all the prettily coloured scenery and said, 'This isn't right, what about the Reign of Terror?' Nobody shows the guillotine. How about a huge sword of Damocles-like guillotine hanging over the stage?

I have never worked in the theatre, but they keep on popping up in my films," said Gilliam. "It's a metaphor, a magical place where imagination blossoms, but is always under attack.

Dante Ferretti is to design the sets, while (further to the info in The Guardian) Gabriella Pescucci is to design the costumes and the performers will include Marcelo Álvarez, Fiorenza Cedolins and Renato Bruson.

There's almost no chance I will ever see this... unless it is filmed for DVD.