Donizetti's "Don Pasquale"

Chucky enjoys the opera!

"What?"  "What's this?"  "Just what in the heck is going on here?"  "I thought that this was a vegetarian blog?"  Hmm... Let me check that hyperlink again.  "Nope."  "My browser is linked to http://chucky-thefatvegetarian.blogspot.com/ so what gives?"

Tiffany and I went to see Gaetano Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" and it was fantastic!  Absolutely fantastic.  3-hours and 15-minutes absolutely well spent.

This is why I decided to write this blog.  I wanted to share The Metropolitan Opera's "Live in HD" program.  Basically, you purchase a ticket to your local movie theater, sit and enjoy a live opera broadcast.

This was Tiffany and my fourth opera.  We were introduced to the program in just enough time to catch the last live opera of the 2009-2010 MET Live in HD season (Gioachino Rossini's "Armida" staring Renée Fleming).  We have subsequently enjoyed "Das Rheingold" and "Boris Godunov" during the current season.

I wanted to share some observations that I was previously unaware until we discovered the wonderful program:

• It's very affordable.  Only $22.00/ticket in our hometown.
• Excellent well-behaved theater crowd.  
• All operas are sub-titled in your local language.
• You are offered a scene-by-scene synopsis sheet prior to start of the show.  Additionally, the MET offers synopsis sheets online prior to the day of the event.
• You get live behind-the-scene coverage with cast interviews and all of the gears, wires, cogs, and stage equipment rolled and hoisted to present the show.  I find the behind-the-scene mechanical engineering absolutely fascinating!
• For the longer opera events, there are intermissions.  Today's was 20-minutes as they redid the behind-the-curtain set.
• An opera is a most wonderful blending of three fundamental components:  orchestra, singers, and actors.  So far, every Metropolitan opera singer that we've watched has been an incredible actor/actress.  Facial expression, movement, and total role submersion.

Give it a try!  Keep an open mind and see whether it's for you or not.  Just one try and you might find a special something you are otherwise missing!

Hi-dee hi-dee opera-ho my friends!