pants role
n.— «In opera parlance, the term is “pants role,” meaning male characters performed by female singers. Mozart wrote one for “The Marriage of Figaro,” Strauss for “Der Rosenkavalier.” As Berkeley singer Leslie Hassberg notes, the opera repertoire also boasts a few skirt roles for men cast as women. Not to mention roles for women playing men playing women.» —“The gay marriage of Figaro: Festival presents queer night” by Dan Pine Jewish News Weekly (San Francisco, California) June 15, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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