Parsifal: Complete Concert Version

Parsifal in Popular Culture: The following is the dialogue from a brief scene of the HBO series, Six Feet Under.

Scene Six: Prep Room

NATE and DAVID talk to RICO, who is prepping a body.

Rico: You’ve gotta be kidding me. A fucking opera?!?

David: He just wants to design a set and rig some special lighting.

Rico: Well, how long is this gonna take?

Nate: They’re gonna need the slumber room for 2 days.

Rico: Oh, no way! No! We could have 3 funerals.

Nate: Apparently, he’s willing to pay for it.

Rico: For a fucking opera?!?

David: (annoyed) Yes, Federico.

Rico: Huh. (pause) You know, Vanessa’s cousin won opera tickets once from KUSC, and she gave them to us. It was just—it was so completely whacked. It was like this magic mirror, ya know, and this dead swan, and this, like bleeding spear.

NATE laughs.

David: “Parsifal.”

NATE looks over, not surprised that DAVID knew the answer.

Rico: Yeah! And they had these flower chicks who were supposed to be hot, ya know? And they were all just like major wide-loads!

NATE laughs louder.

Rico: And these lame-ass knights who were like, they were like (does a “fa-la-la” type voice) prancing around and singing at the top of their lungs. Ya know? It was just so, so, so fuckin’—

David: (pissed off) Gay?!?

Rico: I was gonna say stupid.

David: Bullshit! You don’t want to do this funeral. You think it’s too gay.

Rico: That’s not what I was gonna say!

David: Well, we’re doing it, and that’s final. These guys were together for 22 years, and we’re going to show them the respect that they deserve.

DAVID walks out, in a huff. RICO sighs.

Nate: (smiles) Hey.

RICO smiles back. NATE follows DAVID out.