Otello on a rainy day

In our years of going to the opera, for some strange reason we've never seen Verdi's opera Otello, so I've been looking forward to the live Met broadcast at the movie theater.  At 9 am we headed down the freeway to Southcenter in the pouring rain, stopped at the mall Starbucks for coffee and then persuaded the young ticket-taker to allow us to bring our "outside drinks" in the theater.  She gave us a break this time, but said in the future to "put them under our coats."

Duly noted. Of course she didn't know about the sandwiches I'd packed for intermission in my oversize purse. (Old people can be wily.)

The production starred the very large, very bronzed Johan Botha and pretty Renee Flemming. She first sang the role of Desdemona at her Met debut 17 years ago. She's a youthful 53 years old, but a snide reviewer suggested this might be the "last opportunity" to hear her as Desdemona.  Young, talented things are waiting in the wings, and such is the world of high definition, cruel closeup recorded opera. The fine nuances of acting and appearance are now as important as the voice.

This NY Post review says it all.

It was fun looking up campy Otello/Othello photos. Back in the old days, opera was a live performance, a radio program, a Hollywood movie or (best of all) a treasured set of scratchy LP records that few people could afford. We could spent entire afternoons listening to records and following along with the libretto. Imagination was enough.

John Vickers in the 1970's

Godfrey Tearle, 1949 in Strattford

An bizarre Otello performance in Calcutta, 1919

Paul Robeson as Otello, 1944

A lurid 1955 movie poster
and a scary orange crate label...

Sigh. This was the one to see!

Or John's favorite Otello from the 1950's,
Mario del Monaco