Opera Lady and the Zombie Apocalypse

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During my time marooned in rural Iowa helping my mother at her isolated quasi-plantation last year,  I had an excess of quiet time with which to think so therefore understandably spent a great deal of that time worrying about the house being attacked by zombies.  True, watching excessive amounts of The Walking Dead alone late… [Read More]

Cary Elwes and the Tasseled Nipple

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During my 3 plus months exile in Iowa last year, I made it my mission to fill my every waking moment of my every brief trip to New York with light, color, action, art and madness and therefore suck the very marrow out of my all too limited time back in civilization.  To this end… [Read More]

Senior Dating Rituals of the Midwestern States

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Last year, I spent the majority of three long months with my mother, Nancy, at her quasi plantation in wildly rural northeastern Iowa.  I originally went to help her with the house and grounds, as her health while not yet failing is not the best.  However when my own health started to fail the quasi… [Read More]

Knights of the Table Hee Haw: Le Comte Ory at the Metropolitan Opera

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This weekend we saw the infrequently performed Le Comte Ory at the Met.  So infrequently performed it made its Met debut only in 2011.  We were excited to see an opera with music we had most likely never been exposed to before in any form.  The singing was top notch across the board.  If there… [Read More]

Swallows and Sweater Vests: La Rondine at the Metropolitan Opera

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This week we saw La Rondine at the Met.  We got last minute discounted tickets from a Met Opera email offering 25% off selected performances 26 hours before La Rondine’s curtain.  A FULL 25% off, mind you.  Not the “buy one get one 25% off” that we had received before.  And thank god really as… [Read More]

Carl Jung, BDSM and The Flavored Popcorn Dilemma

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Let me just preface this by saying I REALLY like Root Beer. Almost exactly a year ago, I went to see David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method.  I’d had a DVD screener of it for months but kept myself from watching it because I VERY much wanted to see it in a theatre with my super… [Read More]

Diapered Greeks and Trojan Horses: Les Troyens at the Metropolitan Opera

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This past week we saw Les Troyens at the Met.  At just over five hours, it was by far the longest evening at the opera either of us had ever experienced.  Shockingly, we both stayed awake the entire time. Les Troyens is the story of the fall of Troy to the Greeks, the escape from… [Read More]

Twiddling Dials and Bulging Biceps: The Metropolitan Opera Renovations

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It is always of great comfort to know one is accurate in one’s perceptions, even if they are relatively fleeting and meaningless.  The case in point would be our perceptions of the various problems plaguing the Metropolitan Opera.  Not artistic but technical.  We have mentioned the weird freezing wind draughts, the peeling ceilings, audience blinding… [Read More]

You, In This Tomb?: Aida at the Metropolitan Opera

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This week was my first Aida at the Met–my first Aida being in Syracuse, NY (it’s a long story).  Aida is the third Verdi opera I have seen at the Met after Macbeth last year and Ballo last month.  Both Macbeth and Ballo were notoriously “modernized” productions so Aida was the first period Verdi I… [Read More]

The Martina Arroyo Foundation Gala 2012

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This week we were guests of Martina Arroyo at The Martina Arroyo Foundation Gala held at the lovely 583 Park Avenue.  583 is so lovely in fact, we’re considering having our wedding reception there.  The mission of The Martina Arroyo Foundation is to prepare and counsel young singers in the interpretation of complete operatic roles… [Read More]