Das Rheingold is 2-1/2 hours, no intermission. Water and coffee deprivation begins.
520pm
Luckily for all of us, this is not Halloween season, so my quest for a spear and helmet for tonight has been thwarted by lack of options in the neighborhood.
What to wear? What to wear?
535pm
Wagner could have done himself a world of good on the upper west side if he had shortened the name--like the rest of us immigrants from the Old Country did-- from Das Rheingold to a simple D. Gold. Has a nice "ring" to it, dontchathink?
OK OK let's get serious now. I'm spending a small fortune on these tickets......
7pm
Unusually warm evening for late April. Glad I wore short sleeves under my jacket. Had dinner with Carmine at Nanoosh, a local hummus joint in the neighb. No link between cuisine and the performance to come, as far as I can tell....
730
Arrive at the Met and linger out front to watch the comings and goings of the well-heeled and (slightly...still) older crowd assembling for the performance.
740
In the opera shop, looking for that helmet. No luck. Did get stopped by 2 guys complimenting me on my jacket and new look. Carmine rolls eyes and chuckles.
745
Enter the house, where I catch a glimpse of an older woman off to my left with the helmet on ! Damn.
750
In men's room line for the first and only bathroom break of the evening. Every guy has the same idea I do so the line is longer then usual. Someone cuts in front of me and after a pause looks back and remarks how the men's room lines for this opera are always longer than the ladies' room line.
'Hmm', I say, 'and why is that do you think?'
'Because this opera is about power and gold and men love that.'
Pause.
'Well...I guess they're not here for the costumes,eh?'
He laughed.
755
Our seats are superb and we are lucky to have two diminutive ladies in front of us. We each have amazing sight lines dead on to the entire stage. Let's hope these two don't lunge at each other an hour from now, like the last time.
800
The chandeliers are hoisted to the ceiling. The lights dim. We begin.
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Oh what a fashionista you are... just outshining all the others and drawing all the attention to your impeccable taste.... glad the lady beat you to that helmet, like u haven't had enough attention yet! :P
ReplyDeletelove that 5 o'clock shadow.... and Carmine sure looked pleased with her company!