Operatic Sore Throat

Opera managers learn fast that “a cold” can be as strategic as it is medical.

Ronconi and his wife sang in the same troupe. Whenever she was annoyed—cast opposite someone she disliked, or left out entirely—Ronconi would suddenly develop a mysterious throat problem. He’d send word that it was simply impossible for him to sing.

One evening, after receiving yet another note of “impossibility,” the manager arrived at Ronconi’s lodging with a doctor. The tenor greeted them in a hollow whisper. The manager, knowing how great an actor Ronconi was, didn’t argue; he offered sympathy and casually steered the conversation toward topics he knew would excite the singer.

Minutes later Ronconi forgot to whisper and was talking in his full, natural voice. When the manager pointed it out, Ronconi had an answer ready: the miracle cure was, of course, the mere presence of such an excellent physician.

He sang that night—and with more energy than usual.