All right, let me just put this out there. I am a musician, I played in an orchestra for years and have been singing even longer. That being said, I was super-duper-duper-duper psyched to go to the opera. And at the MET? Come on, I was in my glory.

I will also admit that, as I have stated in previous blogs, I hate pretentious, snobby, phony people, so it may seem a bit of a paradox that I enjoyed the opera as much as I did, but hey, our seats were so far away, I didn’t really have to associate with any of those hoity-patois. I could actually enjoy the opera for what it was.

And boy, was it amazing. The set was fantastic. I would absolutely adore to be able to enter the stage on a riding set, it seemed like a lot of fun! I also believe that the bleak brick colors added a nice tone to the whole show. And lets not forget those pyrotechnics at the end! That was like a scene from Drag Me to Hell, so cool! I really want to know how they managed to open it up like that. Sadly, I could not appreciate the intricacy of the costumes because, well, we were practically sitting on the roof watching, but from what I could see they were extremely authentic.

But those singers, it makes me want to give up singing forever knowing that I will never be able to stretch my range to the point that Zerlina did. They truly were the cream of the crop. Having never been to a live opera, I was completely fascinated by the whole thing. By the middle of the first act, (thanks to the subtitles) I had pretty much forgotten they were speaking a different language, and by the second act (weird as this may sound) I kind of forgot they were singing. I had become so immersed in the story that I, the fidget-queen if there ever was one, felt the three-some-odd hours go by like that! *snap*

That being said, yes, I immensely enjoyed the opera, as a matter of fact, it was my favorite performance of the semester (imagine that, it didn’t even have Jesse Eisenberg!) However, I do not think the opera successfully related itself to a younger audience. I mean, come on, Aamir was dozing off next to me the entire second act. Perhaps if we had been closer to the stage, it would have been different, but I really doubt it. I think that the opera, if it truly wants to attract the young-uns, has to invoke a little more pizzazz. We should have some more modern, contemporary operas. Who says they all have to take place a billion years ago? To relate to an audience today, maybe an opera should take place today, just saying.

Walking down the velvet stairs during intermission, (and wondering where exactly they got all of this velvet) watching the old farts chowing down on overpriced meals and swilling champagne, I realized that the MET encompasses that idea that Manhattan is a dream, where all the rich come out at night to play. It really is sad that so many people came to the opera just to eat and look worldly when in fact they came to eat a million dollar piece of cake while wearing their nicest furs; I feel it is a bit of an injustice to the performers. Regardless, with everyone dressed to the nines for a ritzy night out in a beautiful part of Manhattan, it certainly was a dream to anyone and everyone.

A month and a half ago I chose the subject of the opera to write about for what epitomizes as “Uptown New York”. The opera, I said was made “to gather people of high society. Intermission [is] the preferred part of the spectacle. Because it is then, during the break, that they are able to converse and compare and compete.”

Was I right? Well according to the opera handout, apparently.

But besides a couple of elderly women squeezing their way in front of me for the restroom line, I found that the members of the nosebleeds section were not as haughty as I had anticipated.

But what did I think of the performance? Well, most of the songs were not very memorable, the set list was not aimed towards a younger generation- not one pop song was included! There was a particular ballad though, that I really enjoyed. It was the one in which Don Giovanni’s servant, Leporello, divulges the number of women his master had been with. I thought the song that particular performance was very comical.

The story itself was altogether enjoyable, and easy to follow even for a younger audience (the message of the performance: live the lifestyle of a philanderer and you’ll basically end up in hell). I found that many of the characters were self-absorbed, aggravating, or stupid. And that Don Giovanni irked me the most. It’s bad enough to constantly seduce women, but to kill someone’s father because he wouldn’t allow you to run off mysteriously into the dark? During this part of the performance I was literally shaking my head and wagging my finger at Don Giovanni’s careless behavior.

And then here were the idiotic women! They were so loose with their bodies, and such horrible judges of character! Especially that Donna Elvira, trying to act as though she was looking out for the engaged Zerlina’s well being. Really, Elvira? What did impress me were the actors, the fact that I couldn’t see their faces did not bother me at all; their emotions and states of minds were expressively portrayed through their body language and they way they were positioned on the stage. However others around my age might not have found the stage flashy or high-tech enough.

I thought the costumes were put together all right. Though the only particularly memorable one was the initial outfit f Elvira. I liked and appreciated how mobile the set was, I thought it was very innovative how they were able to portray different settings by simply moving the set around.

Altogether, I had a great experience at the opera. I was able to follow the story pretty much completely, as I was awake for most of it. I fell asleep about forty-five minutes into the second act, but I woke up just in time for the fiery conclusion! I can’t say the length of the opera appealed very to a young audience as many of my classmates fell asleep for much longer than I did. Some had to even resort to creating their own back-stories in order to stay awake. “I imagined the whole thing as RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Eric said after the performance. “It turned out very interestingly actually.”

So yes, to sum it all up I must say the opera as a whole does not reach out a younger audience, from the songs, the set, and the story-line, it was clearly seen that we were not the generation the production was aim towards. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like what I got to see.

Now… Well-dressed men and women congregating to watch a performance in a language most of them don’t understand? Check. Adults purchasing expensive champagnes and baked goods? Check.  Gorgeous, sparkling high chandeliers and velvet everything? Check. As for the experience being a New York nightmare or fantasy… the opera portrays the glamorous side of New York, the unattainable part, the relevant part. People move to New York with high hopes of congregating with this social group. New York is often seen as this, New York is often idealized as this. The opera is definitely part of the New York fantasy.

Lights! Stairs! Glamorous people! Champagneee…oh the opera experience.  I don’t know about you, but this wasn’t something I experience every day.  And frankly, I was kind of torn between thoughts of excited “Oh how beautiful!” and cynical “Oh, look at me! *holds up one pinky*, I’m posh.” Being surrounded by the beautiful aesthetics of the Met Opera was a big part of the experience to me, besides Don Giovanni itself (which I’ll get to), and it set some of my thoughts on opera even before the performance.  Come on, you really can’t ignore walking up an enormous staircase carpeted by red velvet.  It makes you feel important.  And all dressed up like we were that night, you feel like a somebody.  Still though, the cynical me was thinking:  “Look at me, I’m rich, I go to the opera” while realistic me was screaming “You’re a college student who wears sweatshirts and denim, calm down.”

But in all seriousness, isn’t that what the opera is supposed to be doing–appealing to the youth who wear sweatshirts and denim?  How can the opera continue to exist if it doesn’t appeal to a future generation?  I’d like to say that the opera does a so-so job in the attempted appeal.  While the music isn’t quite what’s on the Billboard’s Top 100 Hits, and most young people are not listening to this type of music, I believe that those who are willing to be open to it recognize its incredibility.  Yes, it is somewhat tiresome to listen (and in our case, also, read) to a person sing about one topic for 10 minutes, but on the other hand, it’s amazing that one person can sing for so long.  And we’re not talking poor-quality, auto-tuned singing.  This is 100% pure vocals, with a 100% pure musical accompaniment.  If you mess up, well then it sucks to be you in front of that crowd of 1000 or so people (no big deal, whatever).  I think recognizing this puts you in awe of the talent the singers possess, and makes the opera experience a more enjoyable one, one that appealed to me as a young viewer.

I also have something to say about the set and costume design in regards to a young audience appeal.  While some may say that the style was old-fashioned, and therefore, not relatable, the style actually makes me feel a longing for the past.  I’ll admit the “apartment-window-like” set (I really can’t think of another way to describe it) was kind of cheesy and looked like it was trying too hard to be old-fashioned.  But I felt the costumes accurately reflected the clothing of the time period.  You could clearly (take the word clearly figuratively here, please) see the distinctions between the elite’s fancy clothing and that of the common people.  Call me weird, but I kind of wish I was around during the 18th century so I could wear clothes like that; I love the elegance.  And towards the end when the woman whose father was killed was wearing black–that was an accurate depiction of the cultural practice of mourning.  Excuse me for not remembering any of their names.  While being so high up I could barely see their faces, and so remembering who was who became kind of a difficult task.

The cynical vs. elegant thoughts I mentioned in the beginning are how I relate the opera to our topic of New York City as a fantasy/nightmare.  Some of us hated the performance, and oh what a nightmare it would be to return to the Metropolitan Opera.  To return and be surrounded by all these elite people who spend $20 on a flute of champagne (or however much it was), who pay hundreds of dollars to sit in a private section and take in the performance.  The old Jews have a saying of “Oy gevalt!”–Oh no!  But on the other hand, such gorgeous snowflake-shaped lights, such an exquisite theater, such a view when you looked down from the lobby of the balcony. Specifically because I’m not part of the elite class did I look upon it as a fantasy.  And listening to opera music–again, either “oh the horror!” or “what allure!”  Me, I was feeling the allure that night.  Let’s just pretend I never took a few short snoozes when I knew the actor was going to sing about a topic for the next ten minutes (give me a break, nobody told me to make sure I got enough hours of sleep the previous night).

Alright, I’ll admit, that’s a bit extreme. However, for a short amount of time during the second act, I did happen to find myself in a bit of a comatose state. Perhaps it was a result of my slight insomnia in the nights prior to the performance, but it seemed as if the singers were lulling me to sleep. Their beautifully drawn out sentences, their phenomenal voices. If you close your eyes, you could easily mistake it for a lullaby.

Although I’ve discovered that the opera may not be for me, I must give credit where credit is due. When we entered the Opera we were greeted with a display case containing one of the female costumes from a previous performance. The dress was extravagant and seemed to have come out of a fairy tale. I could easily picture it being worn in Cinderella to the ball, it was just that beautiful. As for the costumes from our performance, I’m afraid I cannot comment on them in great detail because of the distance from our seats to the stage. However, if they were as elaborate as the one on display on the second floor, I credit the actresses for running around (and being able to breath!) in those dresses, especially while singing.

Singing. Wow, the voices of the performers were A-MAZING. I actually did not pay much attention to their voices as much in the first act because I was busy trying to keep up with the storyline, but once I heard Sylvia and Ashley raving about the vocals, I felt inclined to pay closer attention, and WOW! I’ll admit, opera isn’t exactly my preference of music, but these performers sang in a way that gave me reverence for something completely out of my element. The way the notes were held for such extended amounts of time was just phenomenal. However, later on in the play I did begin to get annoyed at the seemingly OVER drawn out and repetitive nature of the songs. I mean, honestly, the performance could have been cut down at least a half an hour if the characters didn’t feel the need to repeat their thoughts countless times, and repeat the SAME lines 379846837572094 times. But after all, all music does that doesn’t it?

As for the subtitles, it always takes me a while to get adjusted from looking between the actors and the stage, but I thoroughly enjoy performances in other languages. It seems to portray and extra level of authenticity to the performance. While I loved the subtitles availability, the part of the performance that stole the show for me was the set. I was amazed at how easily it converted to fit the scene and the minute details that it seemed to have (ex:windows, doors, BALCONIES). I still can’t imagine how it was moved between scenes, because it looked awfully heavy. But I thought it was absolutely beautiful. My only strife is that it was a very dull color, so it may have benefitted from a brighter paint job.

I can see where some may think that Don Giovanni appeals to a younger audience (a guy running around causing scandal by sleeping with numerous women), but I still do not believe that the opera effectively targets a younger audience. Not many teenagers today have the attention span to sit through a 3 hour performance PLUS save the money for a ticket. I’m not exactly sure how much our tickets would have been at full price, but I can imagine it being a tad out of my comfort zone for spending – even if it was for nosebleed seats. Besides the prices, I think the storyline was a little too far fetched to appeal to a younger audience. The younger generations are drifting further from the original religious context of the play, and are most likely going to be skeptical of an ending where the protagonist gets sucked into the fiery pits of hell. Why couldn’t Donna Elvira (I think that’s her name) get vengeance on Don Giovanni on her own? What happened to women’s liberation? Why does she keep going back to such a misogynistic pig?

I highly believe the opera portrays the fantasy of New York. If for no other reason, because of the prestige of the opera house. EVERYTHING was velvet, the stairs ,the walls, the railings. And it was the fancy kind of velvet that doesn’t get matted over time due to wearing. I was very awestruck and intimidated at the same time. The extravagance of the costumes is another factor that plays into the fantasy of the opera. The average New Yorker isn’t going to own anything remotely close to Don Elvira’s gown, which I assume was magnificent. AND THE CHANDELIERS! I was scared to even look at them for fear of them breaking. It was a very elite experience definitely NOT aimed for a young audience, and NOT for the lower class, even if at one time the lower class were the majority of opera-goers.

Hey guys and gals! Binocular guy is here to tell you about the opera experience from a magnified point of view. First off let me start by saying that I used the binoculars sparingly at the beginning of most scenes to see the acting and the costumes. We were so high up and far away from the stage that using the binoculars strained my eyes and gave me a headache. The binoculars did however help me to see the performance, the costumes, and the actors’ facial expressions and added to the total experience of the opera. I passed them down the row during the second act because sharing is caring. I felt awkward using the binoculars while everyone was just sitting and looking in their screens and at the ant-like figures below.

As a young opera viewer who has never been to an opera before I would have to say the overall experience was unique. If I would have to describe the opera to a friend I would say it’s a large play in a huge theater the size of one quarter of a baseball stadium. The actors wear extremely fancy costumes and do not look like normal people at all. The whole performance is through song and an orchestra in front of the stage performs the music. After telling my friend this generic description of the opera I would give him or her the real scoop on the opera we went to.

The opera Don Giovanni felt like the opera that is stereotypically portrayed in television and movies. Throughout the performance I began to understand why I have never seen an opera before. First we have the never-ending singing. The actors perform the story through singing that is so incomprehensible because the opera was in Italian and the words are dragged on for so long that it sounds like a bunch of OOOLAlAlalas after a while. Even if the performance were in English we wouldn’t be able to understand it. This forces the audience to ignore the speech and words the characters are saying and instead try to understand the story through the body language of the actor. Since no comprehensible words are registered in the audience’s brains it becomes very difficult to follow the story if you do not read the subtitles in front of you. This leads to a weak plot that is highly predictable.

And for the most part I found Don Giovanni’s plot to be very weak. From the very beginning when he is trying to have his way with Donna Anna it is so obvious that he is going to be the antihero of a tragedy. Don Giovanni runs around and pisses everyone off only to be stopped by the supernatural. The simplicity of the plot may have been on purpose for the opera because maybe we wouldn’t be able to understand it at all otherwise. I’m thinking of complex movie plots like The Matrix or Inception and imagining them in Italian opera form. It would be impossible to understand anything because a few subtitles here and there wouldn’t be able to immerse the audience in a massively different alternate world. I thought the plot of Don Giovanni was very simple and even though it was an opera does the plot have to be any weaker than that of entertainment in other media?

Even though I thought the plot was weak I thought the actors’ performances in singing and acting were superb. While watching Don Giovanni I felt that these actors might be the most professional actors we have seen in terms of talent and difficulty of their performance. With the naked eye I could only make out the action and movement of the performers. This was very important for me in order to feel engaged as an audience member. I was thinking that the actors wouldn’t be as pressured to act with full facial expressions as though we were viewing them up close in a televised way, but that is exactly what they did. Looking through the binoculars I saw this other view where I could actually see the acting and I did not have to imagine what they must look like down there. I enjoyed the acting of the actors who portrayed Donna Elvira and Leoporello the most because up close I could really see the amount of hard work and talent as they performed these roles. It was as if they performed their parts in a mirror and had exacted the way in which they should perform even though most audience members could barely see their faces.

The costumes, stage direction, and music of the production were on a much grander scale than what I have been exposed to before. The costumes were believable for over exaggerated fancy opera costumes like the many costumes of Don Giovanni. The costumes of the women were very fancy except for Zerlina’s which looked simple and it helped to differentiate economic status of the characters. Leoporello’s costume was shaggy and loose fitting and I thought it fit his character. With the stage direction of the performance I liked how the stage would alternate between outside and inside with the large brick façade that would be pushed together for outside and pulled apart for more open scene. The best part of the entire opera experience though had to be the orchestrated music. For the entire length of the opera they were performing and its easy to take their performance for granted. The music itself set the mood for the entire opera and without it there wouldn’t be an opera.

For the opera adding to the concept of New York fantasy/nightmare situation I think it really has to do with economic class. The seats of the opera are so expensive that the cheap seats that normal people like us would pay for are twenty-five dollars. The only people dreaming about coming to New York to see an opera are people who can afford a vacation to New York and then have enough money to be willing to pay for better seats in the theater. In Woody Allen’s movie “Manhattan” the characters in the movie are able to afford the luxuries of appreciating art in many different forms which could include opera performance. In contrast we saw the movie “In America” where the father dreamed of being the performer and making it big as an actor in New York. For me these two movies illustrate a large difference between people who observe art and the actual artists. The first group are like art consumers and they spend their extra money and time on these performances because they enjoy them. The artists on the other hand appreciate art but must also produce art in order to make a living for themselves. If one does not fall into one of these two groups then New York as a city of dreams with respect to the opera would not be very relevant.

Opera, “Don Giovanni”, Mozart, I was so familiar with these words without even knowing exactly what or who they really are because they are just so famous and classic. That was the reason I was longing for the night of November 7 since I got the syllabus, and my experience with “Don Giovanni” started long before and after that night.

Just as a habit, I read the synopsis of “Don Giovanni” before I got the reading packet. (Thanks to my mother to help me develop this habit since the first time I went to see a ballet performance. Also as a habit, I read all the synopsis in Chinese.) Because of curiosity, I watched the first scene of the first Act of the opera online. This video was the 1954 Salzburg Festival version with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (sounds familiar, but not exactly the same cast). After attending the opera, I felt obligated to finish the entire video. As a result, I kept comparing the two performances, although I am not justified in doing so, because there are large differences between a video and a live performance.

There was always something good and something bad about a performance. The good aspect of this new production was its stage effect, which was truly fascinated. While I would like the set of Commendatore’s garden to be different from the set of the street, the overall design has realistically reflected the architectural style of the time period the story took place. I especially liked the villagers’ party scene, with the large empty space in the middle, a few rural houses on two sides and the bright golden light that suggested sunset. The set and lighting created a very charming atmosphere for this scene. The cemetery scene was a little funny. When I looked at the marble statues, I thought they were Japanese samurais, because the stage was dark and the statues were short. My favorite scene was when Don Giovanni was dragged to hell. The way Don Giovanni disappeared from stage has accurately reflected the concept of going down to hell. The fire effect was excellent in symbolizing the destruction of an evil life. The costumes were relatively unimpressive. They were too modern and casual. I couldn’t distinguish between Don Giovanni and Leporello’s costumes, since they wore similar white shirts and capes. Donna Elvira wore a blue dress (if I remembered correctly) which made her look like a country girl. I don’t remember what Zerlina wore. Donna Anna’s black dress and Don Ottavio’s black suit were set by the story, so nothing really special. Despite of these flaws, the non-performance elements were very well-done.

I was a little disappointed at the performing part of the opera. The main elements of the opera were music and songs. From where I sat, I felt the music was so flat. It couldn’t bring me into the mood of the opera. Moreover, the singers had too many unnecessary movements. Why did Don Giovanni lie next to the Commendatore after he killed him? Did Zerlina and Masetto have to roll around the ground to show their love? Why did Donna Elvira need to kneel on the ground to sing her fine aria? While these body movements were very expressive for dancers, singers shouldn’t have too many deliberate movements. First, singers couldn’t concentrate on singing while they moved intentionally. Second, singers need to use lots of their strength in singing. Moving around too often would take away their strength which would lower the quality of their singing. People just can’t dance while they sing especially in opera. Lastly, singers should express their mood and emotions through their voices. Sadly, in this opera, I couldn’t hear much of the singers’ emotions. For example, when Donna Elvira sang her aria, she used her body to express herself rather than her singing. Compared to the video I saw, Donna Elvira was so concentrated on singing that all her gestures and movements became so natural. After all, opera is opera. If the singers can concentrate more on “singing” the emotions than “dancing”, I think the performance would be more appealing.

To be honest, I was really satisfied with this new production of “Don Giovanni”. I was glad that it didn’t become too fancy. A classic should always remain classic. No matter how producers innovated on their productions, the centuries old opera should have the taste of the centuries old classic.

No need to say, the experience in the Metropolitan Opera House was certainly a fantasy. I fell deeply in love with it. The opera house provides high quality artistic enjoyments to people from different classes. The seats in the family circle are affordable to most people, though I would like to have better seat the next time I attend an opera. The opera house itself has its own glamour to attract people. The red velvet wall, golden light, revolving stairs with red carpet, how can all of these be an urban nightmare? Moreover, the Metropolitan Opera House and many other art institutions in New York City are doing very well in helping people to be more aware about arts. Only people would group themselves in different class, books would not, and so as arts. (After attending the opera, I truly think I should find a way to escape the nightmare of my life.)

So my next plan to the Metropolitan Opera House: the American Ballet Theatre spring season, “Onegin”, a Russian and ballet version of “Don Giovanni”.

Hey everyone, it’s a me Don Giovanni here today (parody of it’s a me Mario, of course!) Now back to the opera experience, the grandeur of the opera theater and the spectacular display of the red velvet coloring that seemed ubiquitous greatly impressed me. While I was outside of the opera building, I really enjoyed viewing the lighted-up staircases, the water fountain in the center, and all the beautiful lights that produced an incandescent environment. With such intricately resplendent style that the opera boasted, it’s no surprise why all the affluent individuals were enticed to view the opera. I also enjoyed the seemingly everlasting walk up the staircase to get into the opera theater (such good exercise!) Once inside, I was astonished by how enormous the theater was and our seats were so far away that it made everything seem microscopic (yes, just like in biology class).

All in all, the fact that us young viewers were so far apart from the characters detracted from the opera experience. For example, with the young audience being what seemed like miles away from the actors, it was impossible (unless, binoculars were utilized) to scrutinize the expressions of the characters and difficult to perceive who was actually singing or even what was going on. Moreover, at some point the opera turned into a vapid performance for me, because of the continuous singing and cliched theme. I was surprised that these actors can sing for that long, even with high-pitched voices (my the talent they possess). At first, I thought the opera would involve some exciting plot, but instead it portrayed a rather hackneyed plot of a man cheating on a woman, a whole lot of women, I should say. For me, like most people, the highlight of the opera was the incredible fire scene. That made my night. I was waiting anxiously for the moment when Don Giovanni would get punished for his sins, and indeed he got what I call an “epic punishment.” Honestly, at some point of the opera I almost fell asleep, thinking when the torture would be over. I mean the actors did a superb job singing and acting, but singing for 3 hours is definitely not my thing (that too in a different language!).

Next, I would like to discuss the setting and costumes of the characters. I felt that the setting was appropriate for opera because it fit well with the costumes the actors were wearing and the plot of the play. I really like how the houses split in the middle to reveal a new setting. From what I could make out (due to the distance away I was from the actors), the costumes suited the opera and were rather elaborately designed. I loved the mob holding the torches and the fire effects were like seeing the Fourth of July (well not really, but still fun!) In addition, as all the plays I’ve viewed, the characters seemed very involved into their role and performed wonderfully, in my opinion. However, I despised the fact that Elvira still forgave Don Giovanni after all he had done to he. I mean woman, come to your senses! Overall, I always like it when characters are really passionate about what they do and loved the fancy area I was in.

I feel that the opera was a nightmare in the aspect that Don Giovanni was betraying all these innocent women, but a fantasy, like Mehreen said, in the magnificent environment we were in with all the rich people. I just liked how there was so much color and fanciness, even though like the Anthony Caro exhibit, I felt alienated by the rich-looking people. Essentially, the opera illustrates to us the splendid region of New York and the many talented people that are part of it. Mainly, I don’t think the opera was appealing to a young opera viewer myself because I was surrounded by a group of people I wouldn’t normally be with and that it was in a different language. Continuously looking at the subtitles and then back to the play was annoying; I just wish the opera was in English. Yes, I admired the talent of these characters singing in such high voices, but the opera is not for me. I’m just glad I had the opportunity to experience the opera because it generated a new insight of the arts for me.

I remember Professor Healey say how you can either hate or love the opera. There is no in between with an opera. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the opera experience. I expected myself to fall asleep at least once throughout, but gladly I didn’t. I can’t say the reason I stayed awake was because Don Giovanni was such an amazing opera. It was more than that. I loved the singing aspect of the opera which is what makes an opera unique from any other form of storytelling I’m familiar with. I was amazed at how high some of the notes were and how successfully the actors hit them. The set of the opera was a little dull but I found it really cool how they would move and be appropriate for the specific scenes. The costumes were also a little dull in color but somewhat appropriate for the peasants they were supposed to be.

The opera was very enjoyable even though I had some difficulty understanding what was going on. I could not see the faces of the actors. I could not tell who was singing. I could not differentiate between the characters. Having to go back and forth from watching the stage to reading the subtitles was a little annoying. I would try to read all the subtitles in one glance so I wouldn’t miss anything important. Gladly, I didn’t miss much so it wasn’t so inconvenient for me. But overall, I think the opera experience was beautiful.

I feel a little differently about Don Giovanni, the opera itself. I loved the story of the opera. I was very happy when Don Giovanni got what he deserved considering how much I despise man-whores and cheaters. That being said, the opera was not as enjoyable. The second act was so slow and went on and on compared to the first. The first one was more exciting and didn’t drag on. I understand that Elvira was hurt because she loved Don Giovanni yet confused because he betrayed her. I understand that. I do. But was it really necessary for her to sing about it for such an extensive period of time?

Honestly, I don’t believe the opera was very successful in appealing to young viewers. Tickets to the opera are just too expensive for me to go frequently. I enjoyed the opera and the singing. The Metropolitan Opera is truly beautiful as velvet is everywhere but it’s just not possible for me to attend on a regular basis or even an irregular one. Also, the people who do watch operas every other day don’t expect to see a younger audience. While waiting in line for the bathroom, I got a few dirty looks from some of the older women. I don’t think most young people want to torture themselves by watching a three-hour long performance in a different language, but there are those that enjoy operas, such as myself.  I consider the opera to be a New York fantasy because everybody gets all dressed up in their most expensive outfit and jewels. People buy the expensive drinks and mingle with the other well-dressed people. If you attend an opera, you are kind of considered part of the high-class and that’s what people want. They want to associate with the rich and it confirms their dreams to be successful and know they’ve accomplished it.

Top of the morning ladies and gents! Unless of course you are reading this in the evening in which case bottom of the evening! In the next few paragraphs I will unravel the true meaning and magic of the opera and formulate opinions on whether it appeals to the youth of NYC and most importantly, if it represents NY as a nightmare/fantasy.

Critic Checklist

Wacky/gripping intro

Review of the plot and story

Review of the costume, set, and music

Does it appeal to the younger generation?

NY nightmare/fantasy

 There is always something special about your first _____. It always resonates in your mind, you know? Like the first time I ate a peach, my first day in college, the first time I called 911 by accident, the first time I prank called someone, the first time I got attacked by a squirrel, etc. Now, I was really excited to attend the opera because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately, my first opera wasn’t as magical as I imagined in my head (I hate it when that happens).

Like Natasha, I believed the plot of the opera just seemed like a really bad soap opera. To be fair the story was quite interesting. As A-Lo (Alyssa) stated, there really is something eye-catching about a story of a man-whore. There were also a lot of moments where I giggled at the lines or the scenes. I will say the translator machine was a lifesaver as well as a distraction. There were times where I was bored and decided let’s read this in German! It was quite entertaining. Anyways, I feel the opera was unnecessarily too long; some of the songs could have been taken out. Honestly, how many times do we have to hear these woman singing, “oh my wretched heart…. I want vengeance.” -__-

I LOVED the set; it was incredibly intricate and just awesome. The fact that they were able to move those big block things to match so many different scenes and situations can only be explained by magic. The music was beautiful, hands-down the best part of the performance. It really complimented the story and set. The best part of the set was the FIRE! It was the greatest thing ever and I don’t think anyone expected it. Who would expect flamethrowers in an opera?!

For freshmen to the opera I don’t think Don Giovanni appealed to that many younglings. I can speak to myself and say it didn’t do a great job for me personally. It didn’t ruin the opera for me in general however, I didn’t find it that appealing…except for the fire of course. Also, I feel like the youth would have found the circus outside the MET much more appealing. ^_^

Lastly, it’s really hard for me to say because we haven’t been able to discuss this theme as much however, I would say the opera represents NYC as fantasy (despite the nightmarish hell-fire on the stage). Honestly, I had such a grand vision in my head of how the opera would be. You always see such high-class individuals attending operas. In movies and shows there is always such grandeur when it comes to the opera. I myself envisioned attending the opera with a top hat, monocle, and cane, if that doesn’t say dream I don’t know what does.