On Wednesday we went to the Metropolitan Opera and saw Tourandot.  Being that this was my first opera, everything truly fascinated me.  So many people showed up and seemed excited.  This was a bit surprising due to my prior belief that opera was no longer something people were interested in.  Not only did people show up, but they also got dressed up, wearing gowns and suits along with their flashiest accessories.  They actually complimented the Metropolitan Opera, which was a very extravagant and classy building with beautiful chandeliers and red velvet stairs that seemed to go on forever.  Once we got seated, I was excited to see the show that had all these people aroused.

Overall, I thought the show was very well written and rehearsed.  I loved the detailed and exorbitant costumes, and thought the props and choreography were perfect.  The singing was clearly done by professionals who, in my opinion, made singing opera seem simple.  As far as I could tell, they hit their notes and had enough power to be heard from the back of the auditorium.

Some thing I was not particularly fond of was how they used the character Liu.  She made a big deal about how she loved Calaf and later dies for him, but even then, she is still simply forgotten.  Her death is not made into a big deal, which made me wonder why they even put it in the script.  Another thing that made the opera a little less enjoyable was the fact that we were sitting so far away.  I wasn’t able to see the characters’ faces, and therefore their showing of emotions.  This definitely took away from the show/experience.  Also, I had a hard time going back and forth from looking at the translations to the stage.  Regardless, going to the Metropolitan Opera and watching my first opera was still a great experience, and one that I may want to repeat sometime in the future.