The Prime Minister has praised plans to allow advertising to be projected onto the sides of opera singers, saying why not use the biggest billboard in the city.

“There are acres of unused space on the sides of your average opera singer that should be opened up to commercial exploitation,” said Scott Morrison. “Let’s face it, opera could do with some livening up. When the lady with the horns is trilling away about how much she’s missing her bloke or whatever I tend to get a bit bored and my eyes probably would wander over to a strategically placed ad for Whiskas cat food or The Good Guys.”

“I think if it’s done tastefully and within the concept of the story I’d be all for it,” said Premier Gladys Berejiklian. “For instance, we could advertise Burger Rings on performers during Wagner’s Ring Cycle, or funeral insurance on the lead character from The Merry Widow.”

Advertisers lining up to exploit the new service include Head and Shoulders shampoo, who have booked the sides of the leads from The Barber of Seville, Flick pest control who are sponsoring Madame Butterfly and Holden who have taken out a lease on the cast of Carmen.

“Putting on opera is an expensive business and we need to claw back whatever revenue we can,” said Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron. “That’s why next season you will be seeing ads for limo hire and wedding cake decorators all over the baritones in our production of The Marriage Of Figaro.”

The concept was last used by the Rome City Council, which screened a 25-minute long promotion for Leggo Spaghetti onto the side of Luciano Pavarotti back in 1983.

Peter Green
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Categories: Business

Tags: advertising, Gladys Berejiklian, opera, Peter Green, Scott Morrison, singers, Sydney, The unAustralian