Do you want to feel young? Go to one the Regal theaters when they do their live HD broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera productions. You will be the youngest person there. We went to Wagner’s Parisfal, his last opera, and were in our seats at noon. The first act ended at 2:30 and the second at 4:30. We had to leave and missed the third act all together but wow, what a spectacle!
The music is heavy, the production almost painterly with white dresses soaking up blood, the story jam packed with the big issues, good versus evil, an exploration of human frailty, a spiritual quest where the pure and foolish are made wise by compassion. The female lead is being punished for laughing at Jesus on the cross while the brotherhood of the Holy Grail bring home the rituals of a high mass. Take of my blood and drink. Take of my body and eat.
If only there was enough time in the day to take in the third act.
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Yes, the Met HD is amazing. I didn’t go to Parsifal as 5 1/2 hours is a little long. Yes, I’ve also felt the youngest in the crowd. If you get a chance, see the encore of Rigaletto. Very strange staging. It takes place in 1963 Las Vegas. Great set design