A Midsummer Night’s Dream

I was unexpectedly blown away by the opera experience that we shared together last Tuesday night. Aside from being amazed by an emotionally charged, passion infused performance, I was also pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere in the Metropolitan Opera house throughout the entire night.

After meeting up with everyone by the fountain I took a few minutes to observe my surroundings. Everywhere I looked people were classily dressed. There was a relaxed atmosphere, and most people had smiles on their faces as they entered the building. The opera house’s deep red carpeting, spiral staircases, ornate chandeliers, and on-display costumes all contributed to the classy feel of the night.

I was expecting the actual performance to be dull and confusing. I couldn’t follow the synopsis the first few times I read it, so I wasn’t looking forward to hearing people sing it out for four hours. However, once the lights dimmed and the curtains were drawn back, I was immediately sucked into the opera. Time flew by, and for the duration of the opera I sat upright in my seat anticipating all of the performers’ next moves.

Although I had an excellent experience and will probably go back to watch a few more operas, there were some things that disappointed me. I don’t know why, but I was expecting the opera to be kind of like a musical so I was let down by its relative simplicity. The plot was a bit confusing to follow, and the scenery was a little too abstract for my liking (even though it did do its and draw more attention to the performers).  However, my biggest complaint is that I didn’t get to see a fat lady sing!