Aida: The Biggest Spectacle on the Stage
Champagne glasses rattle and thousands of feet shuffle and scuffle, vying for position, silently fighting to move forward on their own terms. The hum of countless separate conversations is loud, even in a place like this. It is a reminder that people will always be people. The mass of pressed shirts, suit jackets, ties, dresses, and shiny shoes eventually navigate the mass of red. Before too long the human element causing chaos and cacophony is gone. What remains is the peaceful and proud anterior chamber of the Metropolitan Opera House. Already it seems impossible for substance to outweigh style in the Met’s production of “Aida.”
Well, it does. A massive curtain ascends to reveal an elaborate set. Those versed in the art of opera make their appearance and make their voices herd, skillfully. As is common practice in operas, no amplification is used. No amplification is needed. They can be heard loud and clear and if curiosity gets the best of an attendee, with the touch of a button enlightening subscript appears on one of the screens located behind every seat.
In any production, story is important; perhaps even the most important. But with “Aida,” things are different. They have no choice but to be because it is hard to imagine that most of the people in the audience do not already know of the terrible fait that awaits the eponymous lead before even the first act is over. Storyline is forced aside as spectacle takes over. In an opera of this grand scale, one must put their expectations and assumptions beside and simply allow themselves to be amazed by the sheer splendor of what is taking place on the stage before them. Amazing voices aside, fifty-foot columns disappearing in a matter of seconds, horses riding across the stage, artificial sunlight that makes one fearful of developing skin cancer from nonexistent ultraviolet rays: all examples of the grandeur of “Aida” all afforded by the legendary house it calls its home.
“Aida” was very long and there’s little use denying it. However, no one ever said art is painless. If a little opera goes a long way, a lot of opera is earth (or at the very least glass) shattering. “Aida” is quite an experience; there is no doubt about it.