Seduction and Power

238 Seduction and Power
acclaim. The costume designer was none other than Christian LaCroix, the
French haute couture fashion designer. The staging of the production highlights
the political dimensions of the libretto. For example, Emperor Claudius is
costumed in a way that undoubtedly refers to Grimani’s satirical criticism
of Pope Clement XI. 28 Agrippina is not only a clever and devious strategist
in orchestrating her vapid son’s rise to the throne, but she also plays up to
the ancient stereotype of being extraordinarily cruel (Figure 35) here shown
abusing one of the freedmen, Narcissus, on whom the emperor Claudius
relied as one of his closest allies in a court rife with intrigue. Tacitus claims
that Agrippina’s abuse of Narcissus led him to commit suicide. 29 There are
moments, too, when the depiction of Agrippina appears to rely on modern
stereotypes, similar to what Gloria Swanson’s role in Sunset Boulevard brings to
her performance as Agrippina in Mio Figlio Nerone. For example, in one scene,
Figure 35. Photograph from the 2010 Berlin Staatsoper production of Handel’s
Agrippina. Alexandrina Pendatchanska plays Agrippina and Dominique Visse
plays Narcissus. © Monika Ritterhaus.
9781441177469_txt_print.indd 238 29/04/2013 11:23