Three at Carmen

Clementine Margaine and Kyle Ketelsen in 
Bizet's "Carmen" at the Metropolitan Opera. 
Photo: Marty Sohl 

Rebecca, Duncan and I had assigned seats at the NT Live production of Bizet's Carmen on Saturday.

We had treats with us – Rebecca with her beverage of choice, me with a couple of cans of Lime Diet Coke and Duncan with a large popcorn and drink.

I don’t now if the popcorn usually comes with Smarties from the concession, or if he adds them out of his own pocket.

He told me that he likes the ratio of about 3 popcorn to one Smartie, so this must be something he has worked out.

I was scanning two audiences, the one at the Met and the one we were sitting in. The camera pans the main floor of the Met and occasionally sweeps up to show us all of the balconies. We say the young and the old, the quiet and the flamboyant. Someone from our extended family went to the Met lately. I think it was Catherine when she was in New York. She said she was so tired, she slept through some of the performance. I consider that normal.

I also like to watch the people who have come to see the opera in the movie theatre. Most of us need a bannister to hold onto as we climb up the stairs. A banister if there is one. And there wasn’t. Some of the older couples cling onto each other if there have to walk very many steps up. I am often trying to make the call, who is holding up whom as I watch the them find their seats. One very old man was also juggling his large tray of a double drink, and it looked like lots of fries and maybe a couple of hot dogs. Now that is buying the right snacks to watch the opera.

Duncan is a sophisticated critic of NT Live plays since he has seen so many. He has only seen one other opera and that was when he was little. Cendrillon. After the first act the woman in front of him turned around and told him he had ruined the whole opera for her, the rustling of papers as he was eating his candy. I think she ruined opera for him. They had put the candy in small plastic bags to control the noise, but I guess that wasn’t enough for her. I hadn’t ever thought of what we eat in the theatre as bothering someone else, until I heard Ina say that her allergy to corn makes it impossible for her to see a movie if there are lots of people around her eating popcorn.

Anyway, Duncan is the one who wanted to see this opera. At least he said that in an offhand comment, and the stars aligned for him, since Carmen was showing on Saturday. I think the stars aligned for me as well. The opera was beautiful. I don’t know how many times I would have to watch before I would become immune to the joys of some of the celebrated show-stopping songs, or even the joy of some of the long ominous chords. Ta-daaah!

A big “oh boy” from me to the pleasure of opera.