PETS, PEDIS AND PEPPERMINTS: WHEN THE DIVA IS A DONKEY

TRAFFIC stops and hallways clear as the diva arrives, her attendants escorting her backstage ahead of her rendition of the role she's perfected over years of delighting audiences.

- AFP

HANDLER Angelina Borello pets Wanda the donkey as they wait backstage ahead of a presentation of "La Boheme" at the MET Opera in New York City.

(CHARLY TRIBALLEAU AFP)

"You've got this, Wanda," one opera manager says as she heads inside.

Before the show, she gets a quick pedicure touch-up - her hooves tend to pick up hay and debris.

Wanda is, after all, a donkey.

She's played roles in classic New York Metropolitan Opera productions including "La Boheme" and "The Barber of Seville" since 2022.

In Act II of "La Boheme" - Puccini's popular if heartbreaking portrayal of 19th-century Paris - Wanda joins hundreds of performers including diners, shoppers and vendors.

The donkey pulls the colorful cart of Parpignol, who peddles toys to children in the spectacular street market scene that also literally features a horse-drawn carriage.

But Wanda and her colleague Max - the elegant brown horse who takes the stage after the donkey exits - are pros, calmly hitting their marks.

Their handlers don cloaks alongside the animals during the performance, while Wanda's costume includes a magenta cone hat with multicolored gems and a frilly collar.

As they wait in a holding area for their cues, Max usually naps, handler Angelina Borello told AFP during one performance.