While millennials had the movie theater or TV, Gen Zers and Alpha kiddos have grown accustomed to consuming short-form content by creators on our favorite vertical video apps. Many of us even tune into movies and TV shows split into bite-sized chunks on TikTok (sometimes split-screened with videos of slime).
Subsequently, this new form of media consumption has given us the collective memory of a goldfish. A study by Microsoft, for instance, found that after 20 minutes on TikTok, users experienced a “significant decrease” in their attention span.
Now, as interest in operas decline in Italy, The Times reports that a new version of the famous opera “La Bohème” is coming — and it is specifically being cut short to appeal to an algorithm-obsessed audience.
How has the ‘La Bohème’ opera been tailored for TikTok audiences?
This ‘operacorto’ (short opera) format shortens “La Bohème” from two hours 40 minutes to just 90 minutes.
Gianluca Terranova is the writer and star of this new shortened production. In an interview with The Times, he said: “The wider public is a bit frightened of opera. If you don’t have a grandfather who has introduced you to the themes in the family, then you may find it hard to understand.”
Musical theater has been given a new lease of life thanks to TikTok. The unofficial “Bridgerton” musical and “Ratatouille” musical by creators, for instance, both became big hits.
Perhaps, with a more modern audience and format, opera will find a bigger place on the app, too.
