Our group arrived an hour before showtime, no sooner did we get settled when the screen took us to the opera where we saw the workers preparing the set.
We also saw the people arriving, getting settled in their seats as we had done.
Renee Fleming To Host Metropolitan Opera's Live In HD Broadcast Of Verdi's Rigoletto Featuring Piotr Beczala, Ċ½eljko Lucic, Diana Damrau.
Before the opera started the HD host Renne Fleming interviewed the producer Michael Meyer who spoke about how he felt Rigoletto could be transformed from the 16th century Mantua to a 1960 hotel and casino on The Strip in Las Vegas. Both had plenty of shady characters, drinkers, gamblers and womanizers in their towns.
When it came to casting "The Rat Pack" was a natural - The Duke of Mantua was the 60's "Old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra (wearing a tuxedo most of the time).
I've never been to the opera or had much exposure to the music so seeing it in a modern setting was an ideal way to get familiar with it. I wonder how the died in the wool opera goer feels about that.
I read the story of Rigoletto beforehand, but you know how that goes. It's like a twisted soap opera.
What helped a lot was that there were subtitles throughout the entire performance so I was able to put two and two together.
Between the three acts there were 15 minute intermissions where Renee Fleming interviewed various cast members. To see them as individuals and hear them speak after having seen them perform was a treat. And Renee herself is no slouch. What a charmer she is!
The high drama takes place in the last act.
I don't have to say that the following is a spoiler because if you are familiar with the story line you know that Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter, dies at the end but it's the way she dies! She's stabbed to death and is placed in the trunk of a car.
Dad finds her in the trunk and is devastated, sings to her, she's dead but she responds - Then she dies!!!
Ha!
Now that I've seen Rigoletto I'd like to see and hear more of the music that I just experienced!
I'd love to hear from fellow bloggers who are opera goers or have been to an HD presentation.