An Opera follow up
In a few posts I have pondered what is happening to the arts in "this day and age." I do wonder about these things - but I don't lose much sleep over them.
When I posted about the NYC opera deciding to take a year off and then do a season of all modern operas I was left thinking alot about opera and where it would end up this century. Then I read a remarkable story in the WSJ telling me that I could go and see Opera at a local movie theatre around the country!
I have to admit I was suprised. I also started to think along the lines of David North in his post on an evening with Rush. Was this what opera was coming to? But considering it more carefully I think this sort of thing might be pure genius. This is the kind of evolution that I imagine will need to happen in all live theatre forms. How can we preserve the art and move it forward to a wider audience simultaneously.
I think I was most interested in the idea that this was a simulcast and not a canned film shoot. The idea that I could experience the opera - as it was performed in real-time - but in a place I could be actually sounds rather inviting. I also liked the idea that the intermissions were filled with impromptu backstage interviews with staff. I love the idea of an interview with a designer or stage manager while watching the sets shift.
And I would be lying if I didn't say that the idea of popcorn and milk duds actually makes opera sound a little better to me. Read the article and see what you think.