“The Tempest”

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of going to the opera on Tuesday night. The people, the atmosphere, the theater itself, both inside and outside: it was all new to me and I found it to be rather thrilling. I admired the set design, primarily in the opening scene, which I thought was well-thought-out as the layers of movement and lighting combined to portray the raging ocean. The costumes seemed fabulous, even from our seats at the top of the theater! I just wish I could have seen them up close to really admire their detail. The orchestra was also worth noting, which is something I don’t normally comment on after seeing a show. It was an important element in conveying the characters’ emotions- particularly Prospero and his internal struggle throughout the play- as well as manipulating the audience’s emotions: a key feature of any work of art.

On the other hand, I was slightly underwhelmed by other aspects of “The Tempest.” The script, for instance, was a bit off-putting, as mentioned in class. The use of contemporary English seemed out of place, a number of the rhymes seemed forced, and the repetitive use of couplets had an almost lulling effect. However, the use of Shakespeare’s poetic language probably would have made it even harder to focus on what was going on. Between the singing, the music, the costumes, the set, the story and so forth, it was difficult to fully appreciate any one thing. But then again, doesn’t great art have layers?

Nonetheless, it all made for another lovely evening in the city 🙂 Below is our beautiful class photo, by the way! (minus those who I think went to get pretzels)