A Night at the Opera

I finally got a chance to see an opera be performed.  Bionca got tickets to see the final dress rehearsal of the Orlando Metropolitan Opera perform Samson and Delilah.  I really enjoyed it, though there were are few things that I didn’t care for.  The first act seemed a bit rushed.  It felt like the author assumed that everyone knew the story, so he didn’t have to connect the scenes.  The final scene was a bit cheesily done too.  I expected something a bit more grand with the falling of the pillars.  The performers were awesome though!

The other thing that bothered me was this…  Since it was the final dress rehearsal, they did not charge for admission (and it was invite-only), but they asked that everyone remain quiet during intermissions so that they could work on parts if necessary.  I was amazed that so many people could be so rude and talk loudly.  They had to ask people to be quiet several times, and each time it only helped a little.  Actually, I got so upset that I even shh’ed everyone (who quieted down for about a minute before building right back up).  There were even some people that I could hear a good part of their conversation clear half way across the theater.

I felt honored to be there, and I felt that it was my obligation to respect their hard work.  I guess not everyone shares my view….