And out of nowhere... an opera review.
I just watched The Metropolitain Opera's production of Doctor Atomic on PBS. I love opera, and I was thrilled to learn that the Met is producing several HD opera specials that will be shown on PBS. It's probably the closest I'll ever get to actually going to the Met.
Having said that... Doctor Atomic sucked.
The music... ugh. Take a note, and then imagine the next note as the most awkward sound that could possibly come after, and that was the entire score. The lyrics? A mishmash of poetry and Native American folk songs (often hilariously inappropriate or just completely off the wall). The only decent lyrics were taken from recordings and letters of actual Manhattan Project scientists, and even those were unintentionally humorous at times.
The only scene I actually enjoyed on its own merit was when one of the scientists intentionally terrorizes reporters on the eve of the first atomic test, speculating that the bomb might ignite the atmosphere and destroy the world. He was altogether too gleeful about the prospect.
The poor guy who played the General had an aria dedicated to how he needed to go on a diet, but couldn't lose weight because he liked chocolate too much. That was his big moment. Let's just say it's not the kind of aria I would expect to hear at a Three Tenors concert (were all Three Tenors still alive to have a concert again).
But the very worst was the guy who played Oppenheimer. Don't get me wrong, the man has talent. He's got a great voice.
But he looks almost exactly like Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters. In fact, he spends most of the opera with a look on his face that makes you think he just accidentally summoned the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man. When he sings about playing with the power over life and death, I kept expecting Bill Murray to walk on stage and say, "Oppenheimer, when someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!"
Overall, it was pretty much watching the proverbial train wreck.
Here's hoping that at least one of the Met's PBS specials is better than that. I'd kill to see Mozart, Puccini, Wagner... heck, anybody but that John Adams schmuck.
Having said that... Doctor Atomic sucked.
The music... ugh. Take a note, and then imagine the next note as the most awkward sound that could possibly come after, and that was the entire score. The lyrics? A mishmash of poetry and Native American folk songs (often hilariously inappropriate or just completely off the wall). The only decent lyrics were taken from recordings and letters of actual Manhattan Project scientists, and even those were unintentionally humorous at times.
The only scene I actually enjoyed on its own merit was when one of the scientists intentionally terrorizes reporters on the eve of the first atomic test, speculating that the bomb might ignite the atmosphere and destroy the world. He was altogether too gleeful about the prospect.
The poor guy who played the General had an aria dedicated to how he needed to go on a diet, but couldn't lose weight because he liked chocolate too much. That was his big moment. Let's just say it's not the kind of aria I would expect to hear at a Three Tenors concert (were all Three Tenors still alive to have a concert again).
But the very worst was the guy who played Oppenheimer. Don't get me wrong, the man has talent. He's got a great voice.
But he looks almost exactly like Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters. In fact, he spends most of the opera with a look on his face that makes you think he just accidentally summoned the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man. When he sings about playing with the power over life and death, I kept expecting Bill Murray to walk on stage and say, "Oppenheimer, when someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!"
Overall, it was pretty much watching the proverbial train wreck.
Here's hoping that at least one of the Met's PBS specials is better than that. I'd kill to see Mozart, Puccini, Wagner... heck, anybody but that John Adams schmuck.