Tango: Maureen

If we had not watched Rent in class or read articles about the opera, I would have been completely lost during La Bohème. Upon finding out that we were going to watch the film in class, I was incredibly excited. In high school, I was the bass captain of the chamber singers. In fact, junior year, we sang “Seasons of Love,” which is found at the beginning of Rent. I could not help but sing along under my breath.

The walk from the Q Train to Lincoln Center was rather nice. The weather was fantastic and the streets were brightly lit (I also got to stop at Duane Reade and get some yogurt covered pretzels). When Liam and I arrived at the big fountain, I ran straight over to it and was mesmerized. I immediately took a video of the fountain shooting up and down, and posted it on my Snapchat story for all of my friends to see. The surrounding environment was amazing. There were people of all ages walking around, wearing nice clothing, and enjoying life; I was excited to watch the Opera.

After getting checked by security, my friends and I walked up several flights of stairs and stopped to take pictures, as shown below:

My expectations were high because I had seen two Broadway shows, Wicked and the Phantom of the Opera, but I had never seen a real opera. We finally got to our row and took our seats, all the way up. Upon gazing the room, I saw one of my friends from my hometown who happens to go Macaulay at Queens College! I immediately gave him a call and told him to look to his left. We had not seen each other in months, and it was really great to talk to him.

The lights dimmed and the orchestra began to play – I swear it sounded like a record track; the ensemble was angelic. There were no stray notes and everyone was in sync, which was duly noted when everyone began to clap furiously simply after the first thirty seconds of music.

When the curtain opened and the characters began to sing, I was in shock. Each individual had such a unique and powerful voice. Although I missed several words because it was difficult to continuously look at the lyrics and stage, I was entranced by the singing. In addition to the captivating vocals, the performance was full of subtle jokes that had the entire audience laughing. Music is a universal means of communication; by simply watching the actions and body language of the characters, it was not too difficult to follow along. La Bohème evoked a roller coaster of emotions, and I am glad we went to see it.

After the performance was over, a few of us walked around the building and stepped outside. The weather was still impeccable and we just had to take pictures. I am glad that I wore a suit, because I was not expecting to take pictures of myself. Great night with great friends!