First off, WOW!! The voices of those singers were giving me chills all throughout the performance. As a lover of the style of song, I was blown away.
Now let me say I had many reservations about the experience as a whole. I absolutely loved the opera house, with its velvet walls and handrails, its well-lit atrium, and its especially stunning chandeliers. I’m all for dressing up and going out, so this was really fun for me.
Now on the issue of the show. Honestly, I thought the plot was really boring, a story I’ve heard before. An insensitive, heartless “player” of a man goes around deceiving people and eventually his awful deeds catch up to him. I was so disgusted by the things he was saying and how careless he was toward everyone else. And his former lover, Elvira I think her name was, who both hated and loved him at the same time was getting on my nerves. I mean, come on, he’s cheated on you LITERALLY a thousand times and you still love him? I wanted to slap her; she was really making me angry.
Having the subtitles there was not the most convenient because even though it allowed me to understand what was going on, I could only look at them or the stage because of the way they were placed. Also, the placement of our seats was not the most enjoyable. I found it very hard to follow the story when I couldn’t see who was singing. As for their costumes and the set, I cannot say much; I could barely see their color. It frustrated me that I could not look at the actors’ faces, to see if they were emoting what they were singing or if they looked like they were doing this for the money. Soon enough, I gave up on my frustration and directed my focus to the singing and the orchestra.
I don’t think this opera was successful with any of the young viewers because it didn’t engage them enough. If the sound were louder so that it may completely encompass the audience, it would have eliminated a lot of distractions. If there were brighter colors and more lighting, then maybe I could have actually seen what was going on down there. Maybe they do that because overwhelming the senses would be too much to handle for the older people? I don’t know, but I was not into it at all. There was little movement besides walking around (except in the two dancing scenes), which tends to get boring. (*Side Note: Their not jumping around is quite understandable because the difficulty of how they’re singing requires much energy from the body. They cannot take away from the virtuosity of the singing to make room for movements.) If this performance were compared to a Broadway show, Broadway would most definitely get the young viewers and it probably does. There is more to engage with in a show on Broadway; everything is louder in terms of sound, color, costumes, people, and storyline. Everything is made to pop at the audience and allow them to relate. But how is a teen going to relate to 18th or 19th century living? The cultural context is not there, so I, for one, was completely isolated from it.
As for the high life, I could definitely see them there. I received many dirty looks from my fellow audience members; they were a mixture of surprise and disgust at my age and the fact that I was attending an opera. During intermission, I went to use the restroom and some of the older ladies were completely and utterly horrified at the length of the line while I was just like, hey, you haven’t seen the lines at Splish-Splash, at least this one’s moving quickly. I also got a particularly dirty look from a “gentleman” as I was trying to get to my seat and he had to stand so I could pass. Um, ok? I guess I’m not sophisticated enough to earn your chivalry? That part of the night was not fun.
To people that came “dressed to the nines” ready to buy drinks and mingle (on a Monday night?), this part of New York is a glittering fantasy; this is what they are used to, this is normal New York. It mirrored Woody Allen’s stories in Manhattan perfectly and just like the movie, managed to disgust me. Those of the highlife, like the founders of the Metropolitan Opera itself, get this image when someone says New York, the image of velvet walls and shiny stuff. Most of the people I know, which apparently is middle class and below, get the image of hardship and toil. For them enjoying New York is a walk through Times Square or window-shopping down 5th Ave. They can only merely glance and admire what those of “high” stature have at their fingertips everyday. Our being at this opera showed perfectly the clash of higher and lower and it was really amusing to watch.
