Chaltin sits near the revolving door at The Metropolitan Opera like a pillar overgrown with flowers.
She waits while I stand in line for tickets behind a foreshadowing red velvet rope. Blood will spill before the evening is over, hopefully not mine.
My slouching under-confidence is mocked by her perfect posture until the voice at the ticket counter straightens my spine into something close to sapien. I step forward and say, “Two family circle tickets for Tosca, please.” A sympathetic voice returns, “there are no family circle seats left, just one for standing.” I misunderstand the gravity of this situation because standing tickets never sell out, so I ask for two standing tickets instead. She repeats exasperated,“I only have ONE standing ticket.”
One ticket!?
What’s the right thing to do here? If I get out of line to talk with Chaltin then the people behind me might buy the ticket? I could just buy it and give it to Chaltin? Who am I kidding, I’m dying to see Tosca, I can buy it for myself, but will she forgive me?
What’s the right thing to do here? You know the right thing?
I again look over to Chaltin blooming in sunlight. I turn back to the ticket woman. I look back to Chaltin. What’s the right thing to do here? Fearing she might hear my decision, I raise one guilty finger, and silently move my lips.
“I’ll take one.”
There’s a special place in Scarpia’s prison for those who put themselves before others. Admittedly though it might be worth it, I have a great time tonight. Tosca is booming and incredible.
“Mario! Mario!! Mario!!!”
I find the standing section tonight fidgety as we walked a lot today. karma. Always paying attention. The sound though, the sound in the family circle standing – is absolutely epic.
I gasp during Tosca’s final act, and at Tosca’s final act!
My conscience reflects on earlier today when we had a grand artsy-fartsy time at the Frieze Art Festival on Randalls Island. She is probably too tired to even want to go to the opera after such a long day. It was a cool viewing of most of the big name galleries showing off their best artists. She wouldn’t want to do more standing after that anyway, right?
The fireplace roars on the stage and the letter song breaks my heart! To be honest the night would have been better if Chaltin was with me. I sneak into the apartment, and before bed hide the knives.
*I did not know Anna Netrebko was scheduled to sing so I wasn’t overly disappointed to see a white sheet of paper in the playbill letting us know that she was being replaced by Jennifer Rowley. I was glad to hear the audience give Jennifer a rousing applause at the end. Rowley gave an incredible performance, and was cast as the lead in Tosca next season.
So what is Tosca all about? It begins with Cavaradossi painting in a church where unbeknownst to him his old friend Angelotti is hiding. His girlfriend Tosca, a popular singer, mistakes their conversation with another woman and she becomes jealous. Scarpia the police chief convinces Tosca that Cavaradossi is indeed cheating on her and tricks her into leading him to Angelotti. Scarpia vows to possess Tosca and locks up and tortures Cavaradossi. To save him Tosca gives up Angelotti’s hiding place, who in turn kills himself rather than be caught again. Scarpia vows to spare Cavaradossi if she will sleep with him. What will Tosca do when he asks her for a kiss?
Notes on the production
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Composer………………………. Giacomo Puccini
Tosca………………………………. Jennifer Rowley
Scarpia………………………….…. Michael Volle
Cavaradossi……………..………Yusif Eyvazov
Spoletta……………………..…….. Brenton Ryan
Cesare Angelotti……………… Christian Zaremba
Sciarrone……………………..…… Christopher Job
Conductor………………………….. Bertrand de Billy
The Metropolitan Opera
5/4/2018