So I went on for the first time in Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera tonight. I was playing a Lantern Carrier at the end of Act I. I did well; didn't fall off the stage or drop my lantern on anyone. Also managed to not set anyone, least of all myself, on fire. And I had a really cool costume, complete with a red yarmulke.
As many times as I've done this at the Met in variety of different operas, it's still one of the most exciting things ever. Standing just off that stage and being within spitting distance of these great singers is awe inspiring.
The singer playing Tosca tonight, Cynthia Lawrence, was great fun to watch. She was a typical soprano diva in her first scene, which was thrilling to watch and hear. Then she exited the stage and proceeded to drink her water, do yoga moves and crack jokes with with crew backstage. I love opera singers. :)
I was reminded tonight of the Terrence McNally one-act play "The Last Mile," which was written for the 20th Anniversary broadcast of Great Performances on PBS. This aired when I was in college and I was lucky enough to have taped it.
"The Last Mile" takes place backstage at the Met in the final minutes before the start of a performance of Tosca in which the soprano playing Tosca is making her Met debut.
The soprano was played by Bernadette Peters and other roles were taken by Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, Paul Sorvino, and Tony Goldwyn.
Peters and Sorvino actually sang good bits of their opera roles and both seem to have (had?) legit voices. In the past ten years, Peters' voice has been notoriously idiosyncratic and it will be interesting to see how much of it survives her current run on Broadway in Gypsy.
The performances in this piece were amazing...funny, touching, heartbreaking...all in the space of about 20 minutes. I definitely recommend it if you can dig up a copy somewhere. I might even volunteer a showing of my copy if you're very nice to me.
The guy I was supposed to meet for coffee tonight called to cancel because he has a friend in town. This is the second time he's postponed, but he's really nice about it, so it's okay. He's British and a cute accent goes a long way with me. :)
I always suggest meeting guys first for "coffee," which is weird to me because I do not actually drink coffee. I think of coffee more as a meal or a type of meeting than as an actual beverage. I prefer tea, or, at Starbucks, Caramel Apple Cider. Mmmmm...
Am I the only one in this city who doesn't drink coffee? I don't smoke either. And, since I'm poor, I don't drink much. My vice count is shockingly low these days. Thank goodness I have sex once in a while, let me tell you.
Anybody have any vices they want to spread around?
Posted by Jere at February 19, 2004 11:59 PM | TrackBack