Oh Aida!
“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” If only I had followed Alexander Pope’s advice before heading to Lincoln Center to see Aida. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve heard of the Opera and how grant and elegant one is who heads out to such an event. For as long as I can remember, my grandparents celebrated their Tuesday night, Date Night at Lincoln Center dressed to the nines. I remember my grandma’s long fur coat, her shiny black heels, and my grandpa’s snazzy tux all in honor of such an event. I then remember my parents making the trek to the city to see the show, only to come back and ramble for hours about how cultured and fabulous they felt after sitting through the performance.
As you can tell, the Opera has been hyped up a ton in my life. So as Monday night drew near, I felt a rush of excitement towards this special event. I spent ample time selecting the perfect out-not too fancy, not too under-dressed, found a place to sleep Monday night after the show (no way was I heading back to Long Island at that hour) and I was set for the show. Immediately, upon arriving at Lincoln Center, I got a weird vibe. Firstly, I was let down by the decor of the area. The red velvet walls and chairs didn’t do it for me. Although we sat in the family circle area, I was surprised to see all the chairs in the place being covered in vinyl, and having little leg room. I was also surprised to see the little water fountains around as Damla pointed out, isn’t this supposed to be a classy event?
Well, even before the show started, I was let down. I got to my seat and after the first fifteen minutes, I am sorry to admit, I fell asleep. Yes, the music was incredible, the actors were extremely talented and the set was to die for, however, the combination of our “cheap seats,” the late hour, and the length of the show put me over the edge. I enjoyed the music, the orchestra and their talent and the set however after a bit, it got old. I found it hard to concentrate on both the subtitles in front of me, and the show and began to gave up. So, I dozed off and woke up as the curtain was drawn at the culmination of the first act.
During intermission, Jackie and I ventured downstairs to take a look at the building. We came across some costumes from various shows, however were disappointed at their grandness. I was surprised to see that only four costumes were on view and that they seemed pretty short of elaborate and detail oriented. So, we headed back to our seats, made the trek upstairs and continued on with the show. Act two was my favorite. Seeing the entire cast on stage, the horses present, the set designs changing, and the talent of the actors blew me away. However, after quite some time I was ready to move on. This feeling resonated with me throughout the show until the final act where I was out cold.
All in all, I am happy I was able to see my first Opera. In my case, I believe it was hyped up too much and it failed to meet my expectations. I enjoyed feeling classy, grown up and elegant, however four hours was just too much for me. I most definitely learned a ton from this experience, and am very thankful for that. However, I am not sure Lincoln Center will be seeing me anytime soon in the future.
Posted: December 4th, 2012 under Opera, Reviews.
Comment from Ben Chatham
Time December 5, 2012 at 3:41 am
It’s interesting you were disappointed with the lack of grandness. I rather found it too grand, and it made the opera seem less accesible and more elitist to me. The water fountains were painted gold and they gave us paper cones to put our water in!