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Friday, April 8, 2011

Why you might enjoy an Opera more than you think…



A lot of people disregard opera as the type of performance for them. For whatever the number of reasons, they simply assume they won’t enjoy it: it will be boring, it’s for old people, I won’t understand it, it’s too expensive, etc; but here are a few reasons why you may enjoy it more than you think.

1) Before we had Netflix, Hulu, DVR and even TV, we had opera. How else do you think people got their fix of scandalous love affairs, evil plots, violence and of course romantic love stories? They went to the opera of course! And it didn’t hurt that while watching these stories audience members got to take in beautiful and lavish costumes and sets, as well as listen to some of the best composers of their day.

2) It’s something different. I know there are some nights when my friends and I want to get together but there’s nothing to do. A night at the opera is an exciting opportunity – a chance to get dressed up and experience something you might not have done otherwise. Plus, how cool is it to be able to say you attended an opera when asked what you did over the weekend? If you’re a student, tickets aren’t expensive at all – with a valid student ID you can get 50% off tickets. If you’re not a student, you can still get great prices on tickets – the Balcony seats start at around $34.

3) The length of an opera may seem daunting, but when you factor in that there are usually 1-3 intermissions of typically 15 minutes long, that’s almost 45 minutes shorter than what you initially expected. That’s just about the length of a movie – plus, you get time to stretch and take a break so that you don’t miss anything!

4) Who doesn’t love the chance to see amazingly talented people perform live? Opera singers have their work cut out for them – not only do they have to sing these detailed and intricate pieces of music, but they also have to act. If you love going to the movies and seeing your favorite actor in a challenging role, then you’d certainly enjoy being in the same room as such talented performers.

- Katie McNamara, Saint Anselm College

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