Breathing Technique

Someone at Opera Philly has been busy!



Again, click through to YouTube to see the entire frame.
And remember, keep your eyes on the abs to see proper singing technique. (I'm only half joking.)

Wait let's see if I can shrink it:




Not enough... so click.

Rape of Lucretia Clip!

Opera Philadelphia just posted this to YouTube!! This was recorded the night I was there.



The format is too big for my blog, so click through to see the entire frame.

I described this scene in my review. Wow. Still so intense. I'm getting all nervous watching it again - you can see him straining, straining... then he breaks free... then cut to the happy home... he's holding that bridle... turn back, Tarquinius... argh.

A Horsey Affair

Opera Co of Philly has posted the rehearsal photos for Rape of Lucretia. Here too.

Here's one I borrowed from their page. You can see the horse thing on his upper arm. Oh and that black harness-looking thing - he wore that during That Scene. Let's face it, Tarquinius loved his horse.

More Thoughts About Lucretia

More details and thoughts about Rape of Lucretia have popped into my head. One I wrote as a comment/reply in the original post. I forgot to mention that there were a few scenes where the Female Chorus' actions mirrored those of the women. She was there on stage, singing about what they were doing, doing it right behind and next to them. They didn't see her of course. It was nice, very graceful, kind of showed that the F.C. is telling her own version of the story and the characters will therefore do what she says. Like she is in control by virtue of being the narrator? But at the same time the M&F Chorus were not in control, because they tried to prevent the rape but couldn't. This is all popping into my head as I type it so I haven't had a chance to really analyze it.

Another observation that should have been blazingly obvious at the time but wasn't until I was rethinking it today was, that rape scene - he's wearing a harness. He ties her up with the bridle. He rapes her from behind as if he's riding a horse... remember the whole whores/horse thing... I don't know why I didn't realize it at the time. Wait yes I do - I was too upset. Now it seems so obvious. And I'm still upset - I actually turned my head and averted my eyes as I wrote these last few lines.

I think this is one reason (besides sheer laziness) I don't like to do a lot of research before seeing an opera that I've never seen before. I have no preconceived notions about what anything is supposed to symbolize here - I'm going purely on that collegiate and graduate school training of how to analyze writing, poetry and other forms of art. And it's fun. I'm having these "aha!" moments as I think back over the performance. I imagine that some of the scenes are described in the libretto in detail while others are the director's creations. Doesn't matter to me - I mentioned in my last post that at least one other audience member questioned if the production was in line with what Britten intended. Perhaps this is naive of me, but... does that really matter? Once you write something, people are going to put their own spin on it, their own interpretation, based on their own experiences. You lose control. It applies to something as innocuous as this blog, or as heavily studied as the Bible. So really, is it valid to criticize something like an opera production by asking if it's what the composer had in mind? Unless the composer left explicit instructions, or is still alive, there's really no way to know. And surely any artist, writer or composer is aware that an audience may not know their intentions. And in this case I suppose the "audience" is the director. So how would a composer/author/artist feel about the fact that people are studying his or her work after they've been long gone. "Wait! That's not what I meant!" or, "Wow! That's not what I mean, but I like it!" or, "STOP!!!!!" To me, it doesn't matter. You put something out there, it's not yours anymore.

So this post has gone off on a tangent I didn't expect! Ah the joys of trains of thought.

I am still recovering from the performance. I'm still upset about the rape scene. I'm still blown away by the rape scene and all the rest of it. I'm upset, blown away and filled, as Banawoman said in her comment on the review post, with moments of joy about seeing it and experiencing the beauty of the performance. And of course seeing Nathan Gunn in it - vastly different from Papageno, Figaro, Zurga and the others he's made so popular... or have they made him popular?

Now I'm lapsing into post-performance blues. I've been waiting for this performance for almost a year. Banawoman and I planned to meet this weekend about 5 or 6 months ago, possibly more. The weekend was everything I thought it would be and more. So now what? It's time to plan the next few adventures. Who's in?

Intensity! 'Rape of Lucretia' Review

Wow. Where to begin.

Rape of Lucretia was SO INTENSE. To say it was fabulous doesn't capture the fabulous intensity of the performance.

After seeing it, I poked about online for reviews. I found that people were not committing as to whether or not they liked it, but they had criticisms, such as, the production didn't portray what Britten had in mind, or, Nathan Gunn is too nice to play Tarquinius. Like here. (BTW, readers, scroll to the bottom of that post - the author claims to be composing a new opera that Mr. Gunn will be in? Don't know who the author is or how reliable a source the message board is, but there you have it.) For my part, well, I don't know what Britten had in mind, I never saw another production of the opera, and what does someone being nice have to do with his ability to act? All these reviews were so full of background information about other productions of the opera that at first I felt a little intimidated, like, who am I to go and analyze this complex opera that I've seen only once and haven't heavily researched? Then the other voice in my head said, "Who are you? You are someone who saw an incredibly intense opera performance. Just write about your experience." Sometimes that other voice makes sense... so here I am.

First of all, it was totally cool to hang out with Banawoman. We had a fabulous dinner at Estia before the show. Grilled octopus... FAB FAB FAB! I think I should try to have octopus before every opera I attend. There's a lofty goal. I also had this fabulous drink that was garnished with an edible orchid.



So of course I ate it.

At the theater we ran into someone we know from online. I didn't ask for permission to identify him here on the blog so I won't. But it was really great to meet this person, he was totally charming and adorable and he was sitting directly in front of me.

Ok so the opera itself.

My ticket was in row D. Fourth row, right? Nope. Second row. Eep! Right in the middle, too, directly behind the conductor. But he didn't block my view of the stage because the orchestra pit really was a pit. Before it began I stood up and took a pic with my phone so I could show you all the view and the stark sparseness of it all. (Is that redundant?) This isn't directly in front of my seat. Some people were standing there and I wasn't about to ask them to move so I could sneak a photo, so I moved over a few seats to the right.



There was a platform on the stage, set perpendicular to the lines of the stage, and upstage really was up. It doesn't come across in the photo but it looked very steep, like you could easily slide off into the pit. And as you can see, most of the (small) orchestra was underneath the stage. There was a little camera aimed at the conductor for the video feed for any offstage singing that goes on where the singers can't see him. I no doubt showed up in the video feed as I was right behind the conductor. I've watched that feed myself from backstage while supering and you can clearly see the people directly behind the conductor.

So the opera is told by the male and female chorus - chorus is a confusing term as just one person played each role. Bill Burden was the Male Chorus. The Male Chorus is a preacher who relates what takes place in Christian terms. It's hard to explain. But he told the story about Tarquinias. The Female Chorus, Karen Jesse, was dressed in capris and a sweater - as if that's what she put on that morning. She told Lucretia's tale. Throughout the opera the two of them gave each other these weird looks, mostly like she was glaring at him. I thought it would be resolved in the end but it wasn't, as far as I could tell.

The house lights were still lit and people were chatting when the Male Chorus came on stage and sat down. If you look at that picture... the space to the left of the platform gets bigger, as you can imagine. Not that big, but big enough for a little desk and chair, and I think a filing cabinet. That's generally where he stayed. Not always, but mostly. So he was there, looking at what I assume was a bible, and then the house lights went down and the orchestra began. There was no overture really. He started singing pretty much right away, setting the story. And here's the story:

The Etruscans ruled Rome. They loved beauty but also loved to kill. So they made all this beautiful art but were also ruthless. Tarquinias was the son of the emperor, in other words, the prince. His two generals, Junius and Collatinus, were Roman. As The Male Chorus introduces them, they come on stage. Tarquinius is carrying a horse's bridle and is wearing this horse armor thing over his upper arm. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to see it) While they were out at soldiering about, (drinking in camp) they sent a scout to town to see what the wives were up to. So they were reading letters that they got from the Male Chorus. It was interesting to have the M & F Choruses narrate in the present but also interact with the characters. It was cool. I didn't expect it. The characters didn't acknowledge the Chorus but they got props from them. Ok so the letters listed what the wives were up to. Junius' wife Patricia was found "getting a massage." Right. Collatinus' wife, Lucretia, was found at home with her maids. Now, back then the chastity of the wives was directly related to the status of the husband. So Junius is all upset that his wife was found cheating on him, and goes off about how all women are whores. It doesn't help that they've all been drinking and that Tarquinias is totally making fun of Junius over this. Who said Mr Gunn is too nice to play this role? My reaction to Tarquinias' behavior was, "What a jerk." Actually, Mr. Gunn's "Mr. Nice-Guy" reputation was no where to be found during the entire performance. So anyway Junius is like, all women are whores, and Tarquinias replies that no, not all, for Lucretia is chaste. They get into a fight, hurling insults and brandishing knives, and Collatinus breaks it up. The two guys point out to Tarquinias that he really can have no opinion on the matter given that he's single and the women he sleeps with are willing whores. That strikes some kind of chord in him and he becomes almost obsessed with Lucretia. She is a challenge. He gets a swatch of cloth from the Female Chorus and inhales it with pleasure. He seriously is rubbing this thing all over his face and through his hands, thinking about Lucretia. It's kind of creepy. Here's that shot from the newspaper article I linked to in an earlier post.



Junius tells him that Lucretia is a whore just like the rest of him. Tarquinius insists that no she's not, she's beautiful and she's chaste and he can prove it. Junius says something like, "You wouldn't dare," but at that point Tarquinias is so obsessed all he can think about is seducing her. He's the prince, right, so he's used to getting what he wants when he wants it. Totally self-centered and all that. He is so excited to get to her that he grabs his horse and just goes without properly saddling her up. At this point I must point out, in case you haven't noticed, that we've been hearing the words "whores" and "horse" a lot. Go ahead, say them out loud. And then, there's Tarquinias, sleeping around and carrying that bridal with him like a security blanket everywhere he goes.

Now he's SO EAGER to get to Rome - the Male Chorus is singing about how he whips the horse and goes as fast as possible. Meanwhile Tarquinius has come out of that door with a leather strap around him - it's attached to something backstage. It lets him out across the stage and then he's leaning and straining against it. Like, if the strap broke he would have gone sprawling right into the Male Chorus, who was right in front of him. You could really see the desire, the lust and the obsession in his face, in his body - he wanted to be there and he wanted to be there NOW. I think I was digging my fingernails into my palms just knowing that he was on his way to rape her.

Next we see Lucretia in her home with her nursemaid Bianca and her maid Lucia. The Female Chorus narrates here. They are at the spinning wheels and Lucretia (Tamara Mumford) sings about how she misses her husband, and how unfair it is that men teach women about passion and then leave. Then there's this whole strange (too long?) bit about how women must fold linen... to me it symbolized that women keep the home, hold it together, while the men are out fighting. Like, it doesn't seem important - what's the big deal about folding linen? But it's the home, and without a woman, there'd be no home. She comes across one of her husband's shirts and she holds it to her breast with such affection, you could really see how much she loved and missed him. Tamara Mumford was excellent. Beautiful, rich voice, so expressive, and so beautiful all in white.

Ok so then Tarquinius bangs on the door and asks for lodging because his horse is lame. This confuses and upsets Lucretia - modesty dictates that he not be there, but hospitality dictates that she must give him lodging. There is a fabulous, fabulous scene where the three women are bidding him goodnight. Lucretia is very firm. The nursemaid Bianca, sung by (have to look it up) is wonderfully rude "in that polite way that servants can be rude" sings the Female Chorus. The other maid, Lucia, wonderfully played by Rinnat Moriah, was all flirty and excited to have the prince in the house. It was wonderful the way they were all singing the same words but were all sending very different messages. So finally they finish their goodnights and go to bed.

Then...Intermission.

Intermission? How? What? You mean, stand up, go out into the lobby, go into a bright bathroom, converse with people, when meanwhile you know that Lucretia is about to get raped? How can there be intermission?

Next act opens to this:



Again, a view from my seat, so you can see the orchestra pit as well as the slanted stage. And a bed. Lucretia's bed, surrounded by a curtain. The house lights went down and there were these lights from the balcony sweeping the audience. Then we see the two maids, one on each side, each with one of the men. I think it was Collatinus to my left and Junius to my right. Banawoman thought Collatinus was to the right and Tarquinius was to the left. I don't think T. was up there at all, because it wouldn't have made sense. They had flashlights and held them up to their chins as they sang, kind of like they were telling ghost stories around a campfire. I don't remember the exact words but basically it was a chant like, "Down with Etruscan, Hooray for the Romans..." It was creepy and tense and you could see Lucretia on the bed and you knew she was going to be raped... Ohmygod it was awful. I mean that in a good way. The tension was incredible. And it got worse.

Tarquinius enters and basically laughs at an "impotent" bust of Collatinus, which was actually the singer standing behind a pedestal, goes past the sleeping nursemaid and up to the bed. The Male Chorus describes him like a panther as he stalks around the bed. The Female Chorus is on stage urging Lucretia to wake up. The Male Chorus is there telling Tarquinius to stop. He leans in to kiss her through the gauze. She's still asleep and thinks it's Collatinus so she responds and puts her arm around him, but then she wakes up and is horrified. She's pushing back at the curtain and he's trying to get in, he's like, "You have lust, don't deny it," and she keeps singing, "I deny it, I deny it..." it's just awful. Then... he gets mad. *shudder* He grabs the curtains and just YANKS them away to the floor. Ohmygod it was awful and I'm getting weepy again writing about it. He gets on top of her and tries to kiss her, she pushes him off. I forget which one of them picked the bed up onto its side - I think she did but I'm not sure. So the bed is now up on its edge, mattress facing the audience. My heart is pounding as I write this. I didn't want to watch yet I couldn't stop watching. He grabs the horse bridle (remember, he carries it everywhere) and ties her hands with it, then he drags her over behind the bed and rapes her from behind. You could see the upper half of their bodies. You can see her sort of lurch forward in shock... He's crying out in ecstasy, "Lucretia! Lucretia!" and meanwhile there is such a look of pain and horror on her face - it was so difficult to witness. And remember I was in the 2nd row so I was witnessing this from like 15 feet away. I'm getting all upset typing it. I'm crying now as I was crying last night watching. After that heart-wrenching scene he pushes her to the ground behind the bed and you can see his boots sticking out from behind, so you know he's not done with her. It was just... awful... Then he drags the bed off stage, and she must have been inside it because she wasn't on stage after that. Was he dragging her back to his chamber? Was that it, or did he rape her all night long? It's unbearable to think about.

As an almost inappropriate aside here, the costume - he was in a sleeveless undershirt (a "beater?") with this harness around his chest that showed off all his muscles. And he was still wearing that horse thing on his arm. But those arm muscles - I couldn't stop looking at his friggin' muscles. So every now and then part of my mind would leak out of the story and into reality and think, "Look at his arms! WOW!" and then, "OMG he's raping her, stop it, this is awful." I was attracted and repulsed at the same time. And I wonder if that wasn't the goal, in a sense. There was this vague sense of the erotic under all the violence. I'm not really describing it right - because there's nothing erotic or attractive about rape - but the way he played the character... argh I don't have the words to describe. I wanted to stop looking but I couldn't stop looking. Meanwhile the M&F chorus are off to the side, visibly upset. I think the Female Chorus really was crying.

So I'm sure I wasn't alone in being totally horrified, even though we knew the rape was inevitable... and then the next scene - done on purpose, of course - the juxtaposition of the maids happily gathering flowers the next morning in a pit they revealed under a panel in the flooring. Lucretia staggers out and the nursemaid figures out what happened pretty quickly. Lucretia is singing about her shame... shame... shame... thinking of herself as a whore... crumbles a red rose...the acting was superb but at this point I felt the libretto moved too quickly, like time sped up. She sends a messenger, the nursemaid tells the young maid not to, but it's too late... Collatinus comes in, she confesses, he assures her that she is still chaste because she was not there in spirit... she's like, it doesn't matter... I can't live with the shame... she grabs a knife... falls onto it into the flower pit and dies. The M&F Chorus end the story with a "What have we learned" and they related it to Christianity as rose petals shower the stage. Then suddenly it was over. I was exhausted. It was so intense and so wonderful and so awful (in a good way) that I was just exhausted.



The music was haunting. It was weird and beautiful and strange and wonderful. The singing was superb. Everyone in the cast - what fabulous actors. I was seriously blown away by the entire production. And contrary to the "experts," Mr. All-American-Nice Guy Gunn swaggered around that stage and convinced me that he was a selfish, self-absorbed jerk used to getting what he wants. It can't be easy to play that part, but he didn't just pull it off - he owned the role. That rape scene - Ohmygod. Horrifying. Tarquinias in ecstasy and Lucretia in agony ... I swear there was a collective gasp from the audience as we realized what was happening.

I'm sure I left out lots of good stuff. I told Banawoman that she will have to post a comment with her thoughts/impressions/stuff I forgot or misinterpreted so no doubt we'll get that from her within the week.

After the performance we walked around the neighborhood a bit to sort of unwind ourselves. So no, to those of you who were wondering, there was no in-person Gunn-encounter. Not to say we didn't sort of keep an eye out in our wanderings, because of course we did, but we weren't out prowling. We finally made our way to the hotel, stopping at a convenience store on the way for ice cream and cracker jacks to help us recover.

Today, in between torrential downpours, we wandered down to Independence Hall, saw the Liberty Bell, went to an exhibition about Charles Darwin and saw another about Benjamin Franklin. Look! The glass armonica!



We also went to Reading Terminal Market and of course tried to move some Very Big Rocks.



Ahhh another fufilling operatic adventure!!! And I survived without any Embarrassing Encounters! (sort of wistful about that, go figure...)

The Reviews are...Nowhere?

Getting ready for my next operatic adventure: Opera Philly, The Rape of Lucretia. Well, I'm trying to get ready. Thought I'd peek around to see if there were any reviews online. I never know if I should read the reviews or go with no preconceived notions, but I don't seem to have an option here - there seem to be no reviews online about this production.

There are these rehearsal photos, taken by the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The guy on the chair is Ben Wager. When I was a super in Romeo, he starred in another production that same summer with the same opera company. So I didn't work directly with him, but I know who he is - we've been to the same parties.

Yeah, ok, does this remind anyone else of those high school photos where there was always some wise guy trying to sneak in a gesture?

It's hard to tell from the pictures what the setting is. Bill Burden is in a 20th century suit and tie, but his role as Male Chorus doesn't necessarily have to be from the same time period as the story he tells. The tent and costumes are from... I don't know.

I think I'm glad there are no reviews out there. I'm working myself up for a heartwrenching story. Note to self: Get waterproof mascara.

*****

FIVE MINUTES LATER!!!

Edited to add:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20090609_All_was_right_but_the_opera_itself.html

75% Synopsis

I did get to listen to the Gunn interview this morning. I was at work and, you know, working, so I couldn't give it my 100% attention, but here's what I remember.

Let's see... he told the plot of the opera - his character, Tarquinius, isn't really a bad guy. Some other dude says something about all women being whores (he was careful to point out that it was a quote when he said it) and Tarq is like, NO, she's not, she's GOOD and that he can prove she's chaste by seeing if she resists. If she does, she is. Um... right. Hence the word "rape" in the title.

The interviewer asked him what it was like playing a role like this, where his character does something so bad. I don't remember his reply but he did say something about being able to turn it off when you leave so you don't take the bad feelings with you, something like that. And also that he plays other characters who are better than he is, and that sort of balances it all out. They played a clip from Billy Budd as an example.

After the clip the interviewer said she always enjoys watching the guest listen to him or herself, and how does he like it? There was some joking in there (working, sorry, I missed it but heard the laughing) and he said that he tries not to pick himself apart (something about his wife disagreeing??) and no one likes hearing a recording of themselves and that he tries to hear the musicality of it. Something like that.

They talked about the baritone voice type, and that Elvis and Bing Crosby were baritones, and the types of parts baritones have in different types of operas.

He talked about how he got started singing and got all nostalgic about this car, a 1970 Plymouth Satellite, (I wrote that down) and talked about stuff I've read/heard in other interviews.

Regarding having a pretty voice - his first voice teacher told him that having a pretty voice is a gift - compared it to having pretty eyes. Out of your control.

Oh THEN she played a bit of Papageno and asked us to excuse the quality but it's a homemade recording. Ha! Damn I know that approximately 2 readers will understand my reaction to that. Too bad.

Um.. he talked about using the stomach muscles that contract when you cough, not the ... what did he call it... vanity muscles? Again... I was paying about 75% attention.

And I will leave you with this... he said it in the middle but I can't help but revise the order for effect... (I was at work and that's my job!!!) He says he tells his students to follow their bliss - to be honest and sing where and what they're comfortable with.

Oh and one more thing: The theater where RoL is taking place is so small, he said he can reach out from the stage and almost touch the conductor. Yikes. That IS small.

There was more. The radio station will probably archive the interview. Until then, here's a newspaper article about the production.

Radio Alert!

Attention Gunnfans:

Newsflash from The Opera Company of Philadelphia!!

WHYY in Philadelphia is interviewing the cast of Rape of Lucretia tomorrow, Thursday, from 11-12. They'll be taking questions so warm up your dialing fingers. Then they hop over to WRTI on Saturday at 11am for another interview. Busy busy busy! Both stations are set up for online listening, and will most likely have archived and/or podcasts of the interviews available if you miss them.

With all that's going on this weekend I keep forgetting that I'll be seeing RoL next week. Can't wait to hang out with Banawoman!! We're busy making plans - and those plans DON'T include waiting at the stage door - we already have other (tentative) plans for after the performance. Sorry to the readers who were hoping for another foot-in-mouth moment - I'm following the "avoidance of embarrassment" school of thought this time around. I hope that school isn't too boring...

It's Fun to Have Fun!

The Cat in the Hat says, "It's fun to have fun BUT you have to know how."

So rather than sit here all mopey because I know that the Summer season at my local opera company is starting next week and I won't be a part of it... ok well in addition to sitting here all mopey... I'm suddenly getting very excited about my June adventures!

First - Studio recital - me and the teenagers! I love it! I never know if I should hang out with them since we're all students, or with their moms since we're the same age. Ok, yes, I end up with the moms, mostly because I don't know any of the pop-culture references so important to my fellow students. Actually the adventure starts the day before the recital. The day before the recital is Alex's 5th birthday and of course we're having a party. It'll be small. A few people are coming from about 90 minutes away so I'll drag a friend and possibly my sis-in-law to the run-through which happens to be smack dab in the middle of the birthday afternoon. My teacher is letting me go first for the run-through so I can arrive, sing and then run home to catch up with the gin-and-tonic crowd in my backyard. It's really mainly an opportunity to practice with the accompanist. So she handed out a permission slip (ha!) that said that only parents are allowed to attend the run-through. Since my parents live in Florida and I can sign my own permission slip, thankyouverymuch, I'll have my girlfriends be my substitute parents. Then the recital is the next evening. I think my teacher said I'm near the end. Of course I'll get Husband to record it. Heck I'll get my surrogate parent (who happens to be younger than me!!) to record the run-through the day before. If it's halfway decent I'll post it!

Then the following week I'm meeting regular reader and commenter, Banawoman, in the flesh!!!! I am so excited! Now what's totally cool about that is, not only are we meeting, but we are going to Rape of Lucretia together. Banawoman and I "met" when she joined Nathan Gunn's Yahoo fan page. I'm one of the moderators there so the membership approval emails come to me. (And just to clarify, my blog is in no way, shape or form affiliated with that group. Totally... Separate...Entity.) So she made some silly comment in her approval request and I replied with an email directly to her, which is odd because most of the time I just approve the memberships without emailing the person, or maybe I'll email a short, "You're approved" note. But I sent her a real reply, and she replied, and suddenly we were emailing and chatting every day. After she went to see Pearl Fishers we started talking on the phone regularly. No, we don't discuss Mr. Gunn. I mean, occasionally, but he is not the main topic of our conversations. Anymore. He was the catalyst and then BOOM it all took off without him. She and I are great friends - we talk about everything. We support each other through annoyances, tough times, joys, happy times and so on, and trust me, both our lives have been full of all of that in the past several months. So I'm super-excited to finally meet her in person, and then to go with her to see the guy who, if it weren't for him, we never would have become friends. I have a few friends thanks to him, actually. So maybe, just maybe, if Banawoman and I do hang out at the stage door afterwards ... unless by some freak of circumstance we get onto the backstage list! That's June 12, in case anyone with the Power to do that checks in... Just leave me an anon comment and I won't approve it, or email me luindriel@gmail.com! Yes, this is me NOT asking to get backstage. Right. So where was I? Yeah so if we do hang out at the stage door, I suppose we could thank the man for "introducing" us. And don't worry, Dear Readers, I won't disappoint you - no doubt I'll say/do something stupid and embarrassing for you all to laugh over and be thankful that it wasn't you. And if asked, I will pose for a photo. Maybe it'll have all of everyone's heads. Wouldn't that be novel?

So let's see... I haven't really looked beyond the Philadelphia Opera Nathan Gunn thing, since that would mean thinking about how I'm not supering and wondering how the rehearsals are going. However, a very talented, nice, considerate opera singer/blogger/all-around-wild-and-crazy-gal whose life should one day be portrayed as a comedy series on HBO (but who ever would play her???) and who I think I now owe about 36 drinks has graciously and generously offered me a comp (that means FREE!))) ticket to the final dress of one of the summer's operas because she's IN IT!!! So of course I'll go.

Hmm maybe I can get comps for the other final dresses. I mean, seriously, I was ready and willing to volunteer my time and sweat again this summer. Ok that's totally unrelated to me getting free dress rehearsal tickets but it sounds so dramatic, doesn't it? Anyway, I do know at least one of the supers who DID get in, as well as a few of the singers. I'd gladly donate money to the opera co if I had it. However, I don't have it, so I'm limited to volunteering...even if they don't need me... and of course I'd gladly accept free tickets to the other two final dress rehearsals. Ohh wait a sec can I go to the dress for the production I didn't get into? Hmm... Have to think about that one.

Ah once again opera and it's accouterments are keeping me awake.

The Other Part of My Blog - Button Your Lip

Voice lessons. Singing. Studying voice. That's one part of my blog. Now, just because I haven't blogged about That Other Stuff doesn't mean that the Other Stuff isn't happening. It's just not happening here on the blog.

So in a few weeks I'll be meeing Banawoman, in person, and together we'll be going to see Rape of Lucretia in Philadelphia. I've been so busy with real life that I haven't even thought about it yet, beyond what to wear. I've narrowed that down to about 3 things. Hmm maybe I'll wear layers and peel one off every few hours - instant new outfit! Ok maybe not but it seemed like a good idea for a millisecond. Except for the shoes.

And of course people are asking me, are you going to get backstage? (no!)
Are you waiting by the stage door afterwards? (Unlikely!) (Ok, maybe)
Will you simply smile and nod and say nothing beyond, "great performance," or something similar? Well, remember that scene in Bugs Bunny where the guy says, "Button your lip," and the sidekick buttons his lip? That'll be me, with the button.




"Rabbit season opens today. "Hundreds of hunters swarm the countryside."
Boy, am I glad I live in the city where it's safe.
A guy could get killed out in the country with all them guns going off.
Taxi!
Couple of times around the park, Mac.
Okay, take off, Mugsy.
I don't mind sharing the ride, but all this laundry! After all...
Stop right there, rabbit.
How much do you know?
Who, me? I know lots of things.
Two and two is four. Carson City is the capital of Nevada.
George Washington was the first President.
Cut it.
This guy knows too much, Mugsy.
We'll take him for a ride.
Okay, boss.
Ride?
I just love rides. Especially on a lovely spring day.
There's nothing like a motor ride to relax one.
Through winding roads, past the green meadows...
- and down shady lanes.
- Shut up!
Shut up? Why, certainly.
You don't think I'm the kind to keep blabbing?
Some people never know when to stop. When I'm told to shut up, I shut up.
Shut up shutting up.
Hey, Mugsy, if you see a nice, clean gas station, would you stop, please?
I'll need a nickel. Thanks.
Hello, Police Department? I've got the bank robbers.
We're on Highway 55, headed west.
We're driving a '52 Acme, straight eight.
Overhead valves!
With California license plates!
Operator, we've been disconnected.
Come on, rabbit, get out there and see if the coast is clear.
Okay, boss.
Okay, all clear.
Hey, how about a break for lunch?
Keep working, rabbit.
Yeah, keep working, rabbit.
Shut up!
What did I do, boss?
I said button your lip.
Okay, boss.
How's this, boss?
Well, here it is, all done...
but there's a wheel missing.
I'm afraid you're stuck.
We're not stuck, rabbit.
You're stuck.
Yeah, we're not stuck.
Shut up!
Hey, Mugsy...
let's take the scenic route.
Mugsy, take this rabbit...
into the other room and let him have it.
Okay, boss.
All right, Mugsy, let me have it.
Come, you heard what the boss said.
Let me have it.
Okay, but...
That's better.
I let him have it, boss, just like you said.
Get off!
I guess I'll have to take care of that rabbit myself.
All right, Clancy, take the boys and surround the house.
Jiggers, the cops.
Hide me! Quick, hide me.
Here, hide in here, quick.
Hide me, too. Hide me!
It's not fair. You've got to hide me, too.
I must be dreaming.
It couldn't be this easy.
Okay, quick. Hide in here.
Now don't move until I tell you to.
All right, open up. This is the police.
All right, where's Rocky? Where's he hiding?
- He's not in this stove. - He's hiding in that stove, eh?
Now look, would I turn on this gas if my friend Rocky was in there?
You might, rabbit, you might.
Would I throw a lighted match in there if my friend was in there?
All right, rabbit, you've convinced me.
I'll look for Rocky in the city.
The coast is clear, fellas. They've gone.
Okay, Clancy, take the boys and surround the house.
Jiggers, fellas, the cops.
Open up, this is the police.
All right, rabbit, where's Rocky? Where's he hiding?
He's not in this stove.
He's hiding in the stove, eh?
Would I turn on the gas if he was in there?
You might, rabbit. You might.
Would I throw a lighted match in there if he was in there?
Oh, no you don't!
Take me with you! Don't leave me here with him!
I confess. I did it! Arrest me!
Hello. Bugs Bunny, Private Eyeball.
Thugs thwarted, arsonists arrested, bandits booked, forgers found...
counterfeiters caught, and chiselers chiseled.

Filling My Dance Card

Just got me a ticket for Rape of Lucretia in Philadelphia.

Ready??

Row D, center. Yes, that's 4th row.

Oh and I'm not going alone. No, Husband isn't accompanying me. No no no. Instead I am going with a friend who is accustomed to backstage visits after seeing the Gunnster, as evidenced by the photos in that link. We're gonna have a blast!

Hmm... I wonder if we'll go backstage.

I hope they don't spit when they sing. Better bring a hankie, just in case. Plenty of time to plan since the opera's not until June. June!!! Six months from now. Wow.

My opera dance card is filling up for 2009.

Juan Diego's New CD and the $75

I'm falling asleep here but wanted to mention that Juan Diego Florez has a new CD coming out this week called Bel Canto Spectacular. Learn all about it here.

Decided that I will, after all, shell out the extra $75 to guarantee my ticket for Rape of Lucretia next June. There's some mental block to the amount of extra I'm willing to pay. Like, $40 extra would have been fine.

Ah well. More money, more money. Let's see, what else can I unload on ebay...