Call me a girly girl, but I love any excuse to get dressed up. Dresses, heels, a little make-up never hurt anyone, right? For this very reason, I’d been looking forward to the Opera since I read it on our syllabus. I couldn’t wait to see how everyone would dress, not just in our class, but all of the Opera-goers. The lavish and elaborate garments were only the beginning of the experience however. As we walked into the venue, I started to get excited, not necessarily because of the decorum (I’ve seen a ballet or two at the MET before, so it wasn’t really anything new to me), but because I was about to see my very first opera!
As the curtain rose, I had my binoculars at the ready. Good thing too, considering that the performance began with a brief dance duet. I’m a total sucker for beautiful choreography and grace, so my eyes were glued to the lenses as I watched the pair take command of the stage. In my opinion, the dance sequence was too short; but then again, it was the Opera, not the Ballet. Unfortunately, I think the dance performance set my hopes a little too high for the rest of the show. Don’t get me wrong, the performance was fabulous: the set was marvelous, the costumes were phenomenal, and the singing was absolutely impeccable. I’m just tired of love stories to be quite honest.
I guess to be fair, this wasn’t the typical love story: boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after. I suppose I can give credit to the fact that it complicated the regular love story: boy who already has a girlfriend/soon to be wife, boy meets girl as he is detaining her, boy goes to prison for girl, boy and girl are madly “in love”, boy and girl have love/hate kind of relationship, eventually boy and girl must end relationship, boy wants girl back but girl has moved on, girl no longer loves boy, boy kills girl. Reading that back, it sounds kind of like a really good Ed Sheeran song actually (crazy plot twists and all that jazz). Regardless of its twist on the regular love story, I would have preferred to see an opera with another story line. Give me something about revenge or a war. Love stories are just so common, I guess I expected more from the opera plot-wise. You could ask my neighbors Freda and Victoria, they’ll probably attest to the fact that I groaned every time someone said they were in love, or loved someone. The performance was remarkable, truly sensational; what I had a problem with was the story.
With that being said, the show was bearable strictly based on the talent of the musicians and singers. I can definitely see why people enjoy going to the Opera. It is quite the experience, I’d surely go back again (as long as it isn’t a love story that is) and it is most certainly not just for the old or the rich. Not even just for the educated. The Opera would be enjoyable for anyone really, anyone could easily be blown away by the beautiful Opera House and décor, it is absolutely glamorous. The older, rich generation certainly cherish the idea that the Opera was made for them, that they breathe life into the performance themselves. Not to be cryptic, but what happens when they die? Does the Opera die then too? If they begin to welcome a younger, more diverse demographic into the audience, they will ensure that Opera maintains its prestige. I understand that we younger folk are often obnoxious, (particularly the two youths whose phones went off during the performance; a screaming ringtone, really?!?) but we as young adults have the opportunity to keep the Opera alive. Just give us the chance!
