I am kultured yo
Oct. 6th, 2004 10:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
listersgirlI went to the opera last night with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sarcasma and sanity_clause - Poul Ruders' adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, making its Canadian premiere at the COC. (starfishchick, we wandered through the theatre at intermission, keeping an eye out for you, but obviously didn't see you, or else I wouldn't be typing this right now. Yeah.)
Fantastic show! Saying that I enjoyed myself seems a little odd, because it was bleak and stark and somewhat scary, but I thought the production was fabulous and the opera itself was a great representation of the novel. Although I do wonder how it would come across to people who haven't read Atwood's book - I've read it three or four times, so I know the story pretty well, and I didn't feel that anything was left out, but as always in cases like this, things have to be condensed quite dramatically, and I'd be curious to know if anyone found they couldn't follow the plot.
The interspersal of scenes from the Time Before Gilead worked wonderfully, though, I thought, and kept the tension high. The use of two Offreds was a smart touch. Also the sets, costumes, lighting - the look overall - and the revolving stage and use of video screens were great. And I really liked the music, particularly the use of Amazing Grace, which gave it that Ives-like touch of confusion.
Also,shoefiend was fabulous, although most of the time I couldn't pick her out from the sea of red because of the full coverage costumes - at that distance I need a little bit more than just the circle of the face.
One thing which I noticed that I thought was interesting and somewhat telling of the two directions opera is pulled in - the surtitles (which we had even though it was in English) didn't show any of the potentially offensive language (none of the 'bitch'es were surtitled, and I'm quite sure I heard one of the characters say something about wearing out her snatch, which was definitely not what the surtitles said), but there were some extremely explicit photographs projected onto the stage. I guess they found a line there that they didn't want to cross.
Getting to see something exciting and new made me think about how lucky I am to be living somewhere that there is so much going on, somewhere that I can experience any kind of art I could possibly want (although, assanity_clause said, we live here because of that very fact - it's not like we all moved here and then discovered what a culturally rich city it is). I've seen more live theatre this year than I can possibly remember, plus musicals, operas, concerts, dance shows. There's probably another 50-100 things that I was interested in, but couldn't fit into my schedule (or couldn't afford).
I'm also unbelievably lucky because upbringing exposed me to all sorts of things. I don't really remember doing much when I was young - we weren't the family that went to kids' concerts at the symphony or anything - but there was always music in the house, and I took piano lessons up until I started university (at which point my parents said I'd have to pay if I wanted to keep going, so I chucked the lessons). And then in high school I was in the opera club and the theatre club (which were not clubs for doing, but clubs for watching - we got $2 tickets to dress rehearsals and matinees with the opera company and the theatre that was near my junior high). We went to the art gallery and the museum regularly. My mom tried to get me to go to the symphony with her, which I wouldn't do, and which she mocked me for once I started my music degree.
Later, in university, I went to concerts (both classical and not) all the time, with my parents and my friends. We went to the theatre, we took the ferry to Vancouver or Seattle to see musicals, I was encouraged to do anything artsy, like join a choir, take voice lessons, be in amateur musicals. All this formed so much of my personality, and actually I think it worked the other way too - my parents now sing in two choirs, have seasons tickets to the opera, love musicals. I know some of that was there before, but I think my enthusiasm built on their enthusiasm, and all of us benefitted.
I can't imagine what my life would be like if I lived somewhere that didn't have a thriving theatre or arts scene. Even the things that I personally have no interest in, like organ concerts, I feel comforted knowing that they're there, and that someone is happy about that. I like knowing that if I have a sudden urge for improv comedy, modern dance or blues, I can find something to see and that something will likely be good.
So I guess I really am an urban person. I've never defined myself that way, but I want all the perks that come with living in a big city, and I want the transit that will get me there. In grad school, when I was looking for a job anywhere, my mantra was that I really wanted to be in a city that had an orchestra - not because I go to that many symphony concerts (and I certainly don't here, with ticket prices the way they are), but because for a city to be able to support an orchestra implies a certain level of interest in the arts, and that's what I want.
Also, I'd just like to say that writing coherent reviews of things is high on my list of things I wish I could do. Also reviews that don't use the word "great" with quite so much abandon.
sarcasma and sanity_clause - Poul Ruders' adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, making its Canadian premiere at the COC. (starfishchick, we wandered through the theatre at intermission, keeping an eye out for you, but obviously didn't see you, or else I wouldn't be typing this right now. Yeah.)Fantastic show! Saying that I enjoyed myself seems a little odd, because it was bleak and stark and somewhat scary, but I thought the production was fabulous and the opera itself was a great representation of the novel. Although I do wonder how it would come across to people who haven't read Atwood's book - I've read it three or four times, so I know the story pretty well, and I didn't feel that anything was left out, but as always in cases like this, things have to be condensed quite dramatically, and I'd be curious to know if anyone found they couldn't follow the plot.
The interspersal of scenes from the Time Before Gilead worked wonderfully, though, I thought, and kept the tension high. The use of two Offreds was a smart touch. Also the sets, costumes, lighting - the look overall - and the revolving stage and use of video screens were great. And I really liked the music, particularly the use of Amazing Grace, which gave it that Ives-like touch of confusion.
Also,
shoefiend was fabulous, although most of the time I couldn't pick her out from the sea of red because of the full coverage costumes - at that distance I need a little bit more than just the circle of the face.One thing which I noticed that I thought was interesting and somewhat telling of the two directions opera is pulled in - the surtitles (which we had even though it was in English) didn't show any of the potentially offensive language (none of the 'bitch'es were surtitled, and I'm quite sure I heard one of the characters say something about wearing out her snatch, which was definitely not what the surtitles said), but there were some extremely explicit photographs projected onto the stage. I guess they found a line there that they didn't want to cross.
Getting to see something exciting and new made me think about how lucky I am to be living somewhere that there is so much going on, somewhere that I can experience any kind of art I could possibly want (although, as
sanity_clause said, we live here because of that very fact - it's not like we all moved here and then discovered what a culturally rich city it is). I've seen more live theatre this year than I can possibly remember, plus musicals, operas, concerts, dance shows. There's probably another 50-100 things that I was interested in, but couldn't fit into my schedule (or couldn't afford).I'm also unbelievably lucky because upbringing exposed me to all sorts of things. I don't really remember doing much when I was young - we weren't the family that went to kids' concerts at the symphony or anything - but there was always music in the house, and I took piano lessons up until I started university (at which point my parents said I'd have to pay if I wanted to keep going, so I chucked the lessons). And then in high school I was in the opera club and the theatre club (which were not clubs for doing, but clubs for watching - we got $2 tickets to dress rehearsals and matinees with the opera company and the theatre that was near my junior high). We went to the art gallery and the museum regularly. My mom tried to get me to go to the symphony with her, which I wouldn't do, and which she mocked me for once I started my music degree.
Later, in university, I went to concerts (both classical and not) all the time, with my parents and my friends. We went to the theatre, we took the ferry to Vancouver or Seattle to see musicals, I was encouraged to do anything artsy, like join a choir, take voice lessons, be in amateur musicals. All this formed so much of my personality, and actually I think it worked the other way too - my parents now sing in two choirs, have seasons tickets to the opera, love musicals. I know some of that was there before, but I think my enthusiasm built on their enthusiasm, and all of us benefitted.
I can't imagine what my life would be like if I lived somewhere that didn't have a thriving theatre or arts scene. Even the things that I personally have no interest in, like organ concerts, I feel comforted knowing that they're there, and that someone is happy about that. I like knowing that if I have a sudden urge for improv comedy, modern dance or blues, I can find something to see and that something will likely be good.
So I guess I really am an urban person. I've never defined myself that way, but I want all the perks that come with living in a big city, and I want the transit that will get me there. In grad school, when I was looking for a job anywhere, my mantra was that I really wanted to be in a city that had an orchestra - not because I go to that many symphony concerts (and I certainly don't here, with ticket prices the way they are), but because for a city to be able to support an orchestra implies a certain level of interest in the arts, and that's what I want.
Also, I'd just like to say that writing coherent reviews of things is high on my list of things I wish I could do. Also reviews that don't use the word "great" with quite so much abandon.
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 07:43 am (UTC)It's wonderful and I,too, couldn't imagine living in a plce that didn't offer me these amenities. I would go crazy!
The Handmaid's Tale opera sounds amazing. I wish it was here-I would definitely see it. The book did impact me with its message very much.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 07:47 am (UTC)same here. i love being in the city. even just *knowing* that so many amazing things are going on every day, is enough sometimes.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 08:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 07:49 am (UTC)I thought the female chorus bits were some of the best bits of all.
I *loved* the costumes and the "introduction". Brilliant.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 08:00 am (UTC)Actually, I thought the whole use of the chorus was brilliant.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 08:58 am (UTC)also, i'm in the middle of reading the handmaid's tale right now. but that is an entry all its own.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 10:11 am (UTC)I can totally understand why you don't want to move - Seattle seems like such an incredible place to live, with so much going on. If I could find a job, I would definitely move there.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 11:28 pm (UTC)