I had a really exciting time at the performance of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera theatre last Thursday.  This performance appealed to me more than the ballet because of its’ compelling story. As we discussed in class, there are different ways of delivering a story to the audience. I think that the opera’s singing was able to get the message of the story across more effectively than the dancing in the ballet. Actual words, for me, are a key element in conveying the plot. For the most part, I was able to follow and understand what was going on, where as in the ballet I would find myself getting lost at times in the complexity of the dance moves.

My favorite part of the opera was during act II, where Scarpia, the chief of secret police, interrogates Cavaradossi, the painter. I was amazed at Cavaradossi’s defiant attitude toward Scarpia. Despite all of the torture and verbal harassment, Cavaradossi refuses to give up the location where his friend, Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, is hiding. This audacity and bravery proves how reliable and loyal a friend Cavaradossi is.

The only part of the opera that I disliked was the length of the intermissions. The intermissions ranged from 30 to 40 minutes. Small breaks in between acts are important for me so that I do not lose interest in the performance. However, I do not think the intermissions should be as long if not almost as long as the acts themselves. Not only does it make the show unnecessarily long, but it also makes it difficult for people in audience to remember what happened in the previous act when the intermission ends.

All in all, I enjoyed the experience very much.