the spectacle that is turandot

I saw Turandot tonight....it was my first time watching it and everyone had told me how great the production sets were. The sets definitely did not disappoint. The singing did, however. The two leads...not so great. Come on, "Nessun Dorma" has to be the showstopper, and it wasn't. No applause even!

Hei-Kyung Hong, one of my favorite Met sopranos, was heart achingly sad in her portrayal of Liu, like an Eponine character; she loves a guy that does not love her back. The whole time I'm thinking, "Dump the guy...go for the Prince of Persia, he's hot".... (Prince of Persia made a brief appearance showing his nice pecs & abs before being beheaded).

Oh, but Hong...from her first phrase when Caraf (the lead, in the above photo) asks her why she is such a faithful slave to his father, she answers, "Because you once looked at me and smiled." OK, it sounds very banal when written in English and not sung...but that phrase brought tears to my eyes.

Two odd things happened at this performance:

1. A female ensemble member fainted on stage during the 2nd act, at a very tenseful situation on stage. (Will Caraf die? Will he answer the riddles right?) A friend of mine thought it was part of the show...and she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I was shocked; the poor lady fell on her face and wasn't moving. Surrounding ensemble members quietly took her offstage.
2. While standing near the orchestra pit during intermission, a violinist hit on me. First, he started speaking to me in Japanese...I hate it when guys do that, it's like "Speak to me in English you idiot"...and second, he was about 60 years old. So gross. I think I mumbled something to the effect of "my boyfriend" (a lie and a cop out answer, I know...) and had to bear the stares of old ladies in the front row giving me judgmental looks. Please. Judge the gross perverted violinist, not me!

But...seeing that i haven't been to the Met in a while, opera is always a treat. The third act was sorta ruined for me...I was so mad at the old guy who hit on me...and mad that he sorta spoiled my night.