Tosca was the first opera I ever saw and I have mixed feelings about it. We had seats that were close to the stage which kept me paying attention since I could see the actors’ emotions. Following the plot was fairly simple once I remembered to turn on the translations, but I do think it alters the experience. I find that translating art, in this case lyrics, from one language to another changes the meaning. The emotions are lost in translation and English has a lot of filler words which distract from the point. Regardless, at least I was able to follow along with the show.

The sets were really beautiful throughout out the show. The first set was supposed to be the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. I thought that the huge painting was a nice visual element to look at since most of the stage was empty. The second set was Scarpia’s apartment which looked just like I envision a classical Italian apartment; lots of reds, dark colors, and a painting. The hidden door on the right side of the stage was really cool since it shown extremely bright when it was open. It was a clever idea to have it look so icy since it was a torture room. The final scene was supposed to be the Battlements of the Castel Sant’ Angelo. The building  on stage gave a realistic depth to the stage. All the set designs were enriching to the context of the play and set the mood for the scenes.

The actors in Tosca were super talented and must be dedicated to their careers. the notes that they are able to reach can only be reached with a lot of practice. Each actor commanded the stage with their voice even though the stage was big enough to swallow them. Tosca has a simple storyline but the delivery of the actors made the show. Although they were a bit overly dramatic for me, it is the opera afterall.