Music
June, 1978
Jules Massenet's Thaïs isn't just another naughty French opera, it's a wet dream set to music. Repressed sexuality energizes it; perfumed religiosity adds another sensuous dimension; and it's all set back in the ancient Egypt of Cecil B. De Mille, where anything goes. Athanaël, a desert-dwelling, superchaste monk, journeys to the sinful city of Alexandria in order to preach godliness to Thaïs, a high-priced courtesan/actress/priestess whose example, he's convinced, has helped plunge the town int...
