Is that on my sadness scavenger hunt? Why, yes, yes it is.
1. So it seems that the street right outside my apartment has become quite the popular parking/filming location. A couple of days ago, we had the crew from Blue Bloods (a TV show about cops, apparently) filming with a bunch of extras and loads of actors in cop uniforms. I didn't get to see anyone famous, but fun nonetheless.
2. I saw a performance of Merry Wives of Windsor by the Shakespeare's Globe Theater from London this past weekend. I'd never seen it before, but it was a fun, light sex comedy centered around Falstaff and mistaken identities. Classic Shakespeare. Of course the troupe was fantastic, so overall a very enjoyable evening. I also got front row balcony seats for extremely cheap, so that made it even better.
3. Carmen is, undoubtably, my favorite opera. I saw a production of it by the NYC Opera a few years back for a decent price with terrible seats--the stage was literally a blur from where I sat. I enjoyed it nonetheless because the music was still stunning, but now that it's been playing at the Met, I resolved to finally bite the bullet and shell out for good seats. So I got a seat in a side box on the parterre level, which was not bad, and it was only my second time ever sitting in a box (the first time being at the Opera de Paris). But the seat I had gotten was in a box filled up with people who already knew each other--older gentleman and ladies, one of whom was, no joke, a priest. My face: o.O
But aside from the slight weirdness in sitting with a group of people all 30 years older than me who know each other, the show was fantastic. I could actually see this time, and the woman who played Carmen--Eline Garanca--was absolutely phenomenal, both in terms of singing and in terms of acting. Actually, the entire cast was quite solid in acting terms as well--which was a pleasant surprise for me. The music was, as always, gorgeous, and the sets were quite nicely done. Sometimes I forget how much of a spectacle operas at the Met are.
Overall, totally worth the money I paid and I am so happy I went.
2. I saw a performance of Merry Wives of Windsor by the Shakespeare's Globe Theater from London this past weekend. I'd never seen it before, but it was a fun, light sex comedy centered around Falstaff and mistaken identities. Classic Shakespeare. Of course the troupe was fantastic, so overall a very enjoyable evening. I also got front row balcony seats for extremely cheap, so that made it even better.
3. Carmen is, undoubtably, my favorite opera. I saw a production of it by the NYC Opera a few years back for a decent price with terrible seats--the stage was literally a blur from where I sat. I enjoyed it nonetheless because the music was still stunning, but now that it's been playing at the Met, I resolved to finally bite the bullet and shell out for good seats. So I got a seat in a side box on the parterre level, which was not bad, and it was only my second time ever sitting in a box (the first time being at the Opera de Paris). But the seat I had gotten was in a box filled up with people who already knew each other--older gentleman and ladies, one of whom was, no joke, a priest. My face: o.O
But aside from the slight weirdness in sitting with a group of people all 30 years older than me who know each other, the show was fantastic. I could actually see this time, and the woman who played Carmen--Eline Garanca--was absolutely phenomenal, both in terms of singing and in terms of acting. Actually, the entire cast was quite solid in acting terms as well--which was a pleasant surprise for me. The music was, as always, gorgeous, and the sets were quite nicely done. Sometimes I forget how much of a spectacle operas at the Met are.
Overall, totally worth the money I paid and I am so happy I went.