The parking lot at Southcenter Mall was almost empty when we pulled in at 9:00 am yesterday to go to the opera. We were there to see a live, matinée performance of Mozart's
Don Giovanni from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Imagine seeing world-class opera at a shopping mall in Seattle? The wonderful
Met Live in HD Series broadcasts real-time operas to movie theaters all over the country, making them accessible to thousands of ordinary people.
So we headed upstairs to the fancy new theater and bought our tickets ($22 and $20-- one of us got a senior discount) and took a comfy seat. There was plenty of elbow room to spread out with your popcorn. As we sat waiting for the opera to begin, the camera panned over the New York Met audience crowded into their $250 seats. We could see
them on the big screen but
they couldn't see us. Fun!
The countdown started, the Maestro headed to the pit and the opera overture started without a glitch. Of course watching live on a screen isn't the same as watching live in a theater, but in some ways it's better. For one thing, the terrific camera close-ups give you every expression and all the acting nuances you would never catch sitting 30 rows back. And this opera had a great cast. The 38-year-old Polish singer who played Don Giovanni had back surgery just 2 weeks ago after injuring himself in a "sword fight," but he was in good shape to cavort with the beauties on the stage yesterday.
During the long intermission, we had plenty of time to stroll downstairs and eat lunch at Panda Express in the food court. And when it was all over, we left with that nice "after opera" feeling. By then the mall and the parking lot were jammed. It was a great experience and a real bargain if you can avoid those $4.75 Junior Mints at the concession stand. Next week? The Met is broadcasting Wagner's
Sigfried-- it's 6 hours long! That one would require SEVERAL trips down to the food court for fortification.
The parking lot at Southcenter Mall was almost empty when we pulled in at 9:00 am yesterday to go to the opera. We were there to see a live, matinée performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Imagine seeing world-class opera at a shopping mall in Seattle? The wonderful Met Live in HD Series broadcasts real-time operas to movie theaters all over the country, making them accessible to thousands of ordinary people.
So we headed upstairs to the fancy new theater and bought our tickets ($22 and $20-- one of us got a senior discount) and took a comfy seat. There was plenty of elbow room to spread out with your popcorn. As we sat waiting for the opera to begin, the camera panned over the New York Met audience crowded into their $250 seats. We could see them on the big screen but they couldn't see us. Fun!
The countdown started, the Maestro headed to the pit and the opera overture started without a glitch. Of course watching live on a screen isn't the same as watching live in a theater, but in some ways it's better. For one thing, the terrific camera close-ups give you every expression and all the acting nuances you would never catch sitting 30 rows back. And this opera had a great cast. The 38-year-old Polish singer who played Don Giovanni had back surgery just 2 weeks ago after injuring himself in a "sword fight," but he was in good shape to cavort with the beauties on the stage yesterday.
During the long intermission, we had plenty of time to stroll downstairs and eat lunch at Panda Express in the food court. And when it was all over, we left with that nice "after opera" feeling. By then the mall and the parking lot were jammed. It was a great experience and a real bargain if you can avoid those $4.75 Junior Mints at the concession stand. Next week? The Met is broadcasting Wagner's Sigfried-- it's 6 hours long! That one would require SEVERAL trips down to the food court for fortification.
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