Another Fun Day!

Not the Opera House, and also not Pisa!

What is it about operas and dental chairs?  As soon as I lie back into the dentist’s chair, and get all set up with wires, rubber dams, pickers and pokers, and whatever else is needed in my mouth, I am suddenly overcome with  totally irresistible need to sneeze.  Similarly, shortly after I settle into my opera house seat, the overture ends, and an expectant silence ensues as we wait for the singing to start, I am overwhelmed by an uncontrollable coughing fit.  Inevitable and Horrible. 

Armed with cough drops, pre-unwrapped, so as to avoid paper rattling during the program, Rebecca and I made our way to the Opera House for Carmen.  “Not my favorite opera,” I told her.  “In fact, I don’t like it at all.”  “Why not?"she wanted to know.   “The story is so stupid.”  She gaped!  “They’re all stupid stories,” she exclaimed.  “That isn’t usually a problem.” “This is stupid in a different way.  Everyone in it is horrible.  They deserve what they get.”  She was shocked at my callousness.  There have been other operas that were “not my favorites," but when I finally saw them, they were elevated to favorites after all - for example, Bluebeard.  Becca loved to listen to it when she was little, but I thought it was waaaaay too creepy, despite being Bartok, who actually is a favorite.  She had to listen to it when I wasn’t home. But what is too creepy to listen to as you do the dishes, or such like, may be fun in an actual opera.  I could happily listen to Carmen when I was doing dishes, or anything else, for that matter (except sitting there actually watching it,) as long as I didn’t know what was supposed to be happening. The music is wonderful – sing along fun, in fact.  Also in fact, there was an old (very old) fellow sitting right behind us who was doing just that.  We kept hoping that his equally old wife would hush him, but she didn’t. Not an opera enhancing experience.  But sort of cute, and so not as annoying as one might expect.  Years ago, Rachael’s fifth grade put on “Sound of Music,” and a little boy, about four, sitting behind us, lustily sang  along with every song.  I enjoyed him a lot, and wanted to sing along myself, but, of course, didn’t dare.  

So … Carmen is still not my favorite opera!  But on the positive side, I met my friend, the Bantam of the Opera – aka Mary Burt - whose chicken purse I had admired long ago.  It was fun to see her and her beautiful purse again.  

Also not the Opera House, but one of the county buildings I went to on a day of tedious errands.