Erica's #26 - Go to the Opera

I've seen a lot of things in theaters: concerts, plays, musicals, symphony performances, Broadway shows, local dance troupe performances, and an author event.  One thing I had yet to experience in a theater was the opera.  This might sound mind-numbingly boring to you (it honestly did a little to me too), but I was pleasantly surprised when we sat down to see "Girl of the Golden West" by Giacomo Puccini.

Westerns and operas aren't typically two things you see coalescing into one cohesive event.  Honestly, when I purchased tickets to this show, I had no clue what it would be about, but I did make one incorrect assumption - I assumed that it would be in English, given it's Western flair.  Turns out, I selected the one opera coming to Clowe's Memorial Hall in Indianapolis that WAS NOT in English this season.  Oh well, it felt like a much more authentic opera experience given that it was in Italian!

Lucky for us, there were English surtitles!  We accidentally arrived late for the first act, and had to sit in the very back as to not disturb others trying to find our seats closer to the stage.  This turned out to be perfect, as it was much easier to read the surtitles from the rear of the theater.  During the intermission between the first and second acts, we moseyed up to our actual seats, to find that they were in the third row!  The surtitles are above the action on the stage, so these seats actually made it much more difficult to read and follow along, but it was great to see the actors and sets in such detail.

Girl of the Golden West actually had some very amusing moments in it, and some even more amusing cultural misunderstandings written in by Puccini.  One that stands out is that during the poker-playing scenes, the dialog revolves around betting on high cards...I'm not sure Puccini really understood 5-card stud!  The plot revolved on Minnie - a strong, gun-toting, Wild West gal who runs the local saloon.  She falls in love with a wanted criminal, and does anything in her power to save him.

I had a feeling operas were long...but I had no clue it would involve 3 hour-long acts.  I am old, and therefore found it extremely difficult to keep my eyes open during the third act, which didn't wrap up until 11pm or a little later.  But it was an entertaining evening, and a good way to add more culture to our lives!