I went into Les contes d’Hoffman, or The Tales Of Hoffmann, knowing absolutely nothing about the story line. Not only was I a first time opera goer, who knew no background for what I was about to see, I also did not know a single person there. I was in many ways a stranger that night.

Prior to this performance, I viewed Opera as a lullaby, something I would listen to if I wanted to induce a good nap. A lullaby sung in a language I do not understand, by people that weigh more than double what I weigh.  To my surprise, the beginning of Les contes d’Hoffman was everything but boring. I felt like I was immediately absorbed into the story line. Though I could not understand what the performers were saying without the help of the given translation, at times I would forget that the play was in French. I often found myself forgetting to even look down at the translations provided. The story was easy to following because of the performers’ motions and vocals, and what emotions were brought out in the two. When I did remember to look down at the translations, I was impressed to find the chosen words modern and easy to understand, almost as if in current slang.

Also exciting were the loud and flashy costumes. Many of which resembled a uniform of an exotic dancer, only with more sequins.  A group of students, I included, got a chance to talk to the concertmaster that night.  She informed us that this opera, especially in the area of costume design, was altered in order to appeal to a younger audience in an attempt to bring more students to come to opera. I thought that the costumes chosen were very eye catching to a young audience. Well done.

Opera to me as a child, was supposed to be boring, and certainly not humorous. To my surprise, I found myself laughing during Tales of Hoffman. There was a pleasant element of comic relief built into the story. I used to think that jokes were not allowed in opera, but after that night, I know better.

The thing I was most impressed with that night was the performance of Olympia in Act 1. Without any words all, it was clear to see that she was playing the role of a robot. Her acting performance was amazing, and as if that was not good enough, she had an outstandingly powerful voice to match. You can walk out of that opera after act one and know with certainty that you have seen a fabulous performance. But maybe stay for the rest anyway.