Having never been any opera before I really didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be a great way to showcase how cultured and artsy I was (it worked by friend who sings opera was wildly jealous). Despite my train home no longer running and a headache from looking at the tiny actors from my very very high seat, I found my first experience to be very enjoyable. One thing in particular that enjoyed was the sets. Even from my $20 seat in the family circle I could see how elaborate and beautiful the sets were, including a live horse pulling a carriage onstage! I was amazed at how quickly they were able to put together the sets with that much detail in the short intermission times between acts. My favorite set was when they were at the hotel in the winter and it was actually snowing onstage. With some scenes so much was happening at once I didn’t know where to look, such as the scene where they are at the market or plaza. There were so many extras running around and so much background activity that was also interesting. There was a guy in a bear costume that I found particularly interesting

I was torn between looking onstage to fully absorb the opera or quickly switching between the performance and the subtitles. When my music teacher in high school spoke about her experience at the opera, the play was also in Italian and she ignored the subtitles to better appreciate the play. I myself, would be extremely lost without the subtitles and quickly disregarded her words. Sometimes I would zone out and come back to have no idea what was going on. I feel watching the film Rent helped so much in my understanding of the play, as there were many similarities.  I feel like having this background, along with the readings, helped enhance my experience at the opera, especially considering that everything was in Italian. Seeing the original work Rent was based on actually gave me a greater appreciation of the film Rent itself. The modernized version was very well done and in character of the original work. Throughout the opera I was trying to make the connections between the film and the opera. Most of the connections were in line between the opera and the film, but was a little confused on the characters of Joanne and Angel from the film and how they fit into the opera. I think I may have enjoyed the film a little more, but maybe that’s because I’m not fluent in Italian.

Overall I felt my first time at the opera was a very enjoyable experience. The Met Opera building and Lincoln Center were very beautiful. I liked the fountain outside and the raising of the chandeliers at the start of the opera. Even with some difficulty getting home (thank you 1 train for no nighttime service :)), I would certainly return to the opera (and not just for the appearance of an ultra-sophisticated New Yorker).