This was a reprise of the live broadcast from the Met on the previous day. I thought there would be better seating today at Spaulding, and I was right. In fact there were so few people it could have been at Loews. Maybe they were expecting a big turnout?
I hadn’t ever seen this famous opera, so I thought I should take advantage of this handy opportunity.
The things I didn’t like. As it wasn’t live, I didn’t see the need for all the blather. The whole show took about 3.5 hours, but the actual opera was maybe 2 hours. There was a 15-minute intro, and 2 half-hour intermissions. But as it was a repeat, did we need all that stuff? I really dislike interviews with the cast midstream. It detracts from the show. I did like seeing them move the set though – quite impressive.
The things I did like. The opera itself was wonderful, with a great cast, and beautiful singing. It brought tears to my eyes on many occasions. It was entirely sung, and all the characters were strong. Mimi and Rodolfo were both excellent. The staging and set were great. In fact that had been another draw, as the set was done by Franco Zeffirelli, and I learned recently that he had done the first production when then Met opened.