8 September 2023 Opera in the Park

[scenicdesign71]

...Bryant Park, that is; the opera in question being Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, staged by NYCO for one night only in a two-hour abridged version: seven singers, plus a narrator; no chorus; and a wonderfully effective 12-piece orchestra.  The performance is live-streaming right now, but the video will remain on YouTube afterward:

I spent a chunk of the past week painting the Capulet and Montague banners, and helping to paint the rest of the set, with a couple of former NYU classmates.

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Like a lot of free outdoor summer "...in the Park" performance, this is thrown-together on a wing and a prayer, with surprisingly better results than one might expect -- which still isn't to say that it would run for years on Broadway (or at the Met).  But the voices are sublime, and it's a 75º early-September evening in Manhattan (never mind the curtain-delaying drizzle) and it's opera in the friggin' park -- what's not to enjoy?  My classmate John's set is practical, versatile, atmospheric and lovely to look at -- which shouldn't even be possible, given no time or money, but he makes it look effortless AND lends the evening a sense of scale and event.  Color me impressed.  And proud to have been a small part of it.

[KathyB]

Well, I'm definitely impressed. 

I have spent today looking at noodles and bungee cords. I need the bungee cords to try and tie my gate together, because I found out this week that the gap in the gate is large enough for a 12-pound dog to get through. (I found out three times.) The noodles are because I tried some Omsom noodles from Whole Foods, and I liked them enough to order an 8-pack, along with some Lemongrass BBQ sauce.

Tomorrow I see A Little Night Music at the Denver Center! If it's good, I have enough ticket vouchers this year to see it again before the end of the run in October. (I've been counting on it to be good ever since I renewed my subscription in May, so if it really stinks, I'll have a spare ticket voucher to invite someone to one of the other plays this season.)