Before entering the Metropolitan Theatre, I was excited because this was my first opera as to the many first time events I have been to in our IDC class. I loved the atmosphere from the outside being very grand to inside being cozy as well as luxurious. The theatre was packed and our seats were considerably nice. The opera began instantaneously; it took me by surprise even when I was looking at the stage the whole time. The curtains went up immediately and it began with a very gray and dark stage, where I only saw the glimpse of a few prisoners for the first few moments.

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?

          What do I think of when the word Opera comes to mind? I think of overweight men and women, extremely loud vocals, the late Luciano Pavarotti, and the Barber of Seville, just to name a few. However, the opera showed me that this presumption is false. The Lincoln Center theatre was absolutely magnificent as were our seats. The entire audience dressed up accommodatingly and respectfully as they were all dressed in suits and dresses. The scenery of the opera was fairly similar throughout but very realistic and believable.

I've always had the same vision of a typical opera. A rather large lady with a bun so enormous that it barely stays on top of her head stands centerstage. With her hands held together at the center of her chest, she begans to sing at atypical ranges in a language unknown to the audience. She ends with a long high note, and the crowd gathers in applause, yet having no idea as to what they've just witnessed. The House of the Dead proved my perception completely false. The first aspect of this opera that caught me off guard was the huge cast of men.