Me and Chaltin left the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris on a sunny morning in July and walked past the church of St. Sulpice. We didn’t know it at the time but it is in there that the Chevalier des Grieux heals his broken heart.
I think he’d be better off grabbing a beer with the guys and finding someone else. I don’t find Manon as a very likable character. I think he can do better. I don’t think I could…
Chaltin has the ticket magic this morning. I couldn’t get any rush tickets, but in a few minutes she scored not only GREAT seats for Manon, but also tickets to see David Byrne’s American Utopia this weekend.
I have a weird complaint this evening. Everything is too perfect, too polished. It sounds flawless; impossible not to fall in love with Lisette’s voice and Fabiano is strong as ever. It is a pristine production, but my punk leanings whisper, where’s the risk. I leave feeling flat.
So what’s Manon all about? It begins with the title character Manon waiting for the train and her cousin to return and he tells her to ‘be good.’ She however is seduced by the finery of the women in the bar and also falls for the young guilot who she goes away with to paris. Their apt is on rue Vivienne where we also stayed in paris. He writes a letter to his father about how much he loves her and she reads and her cousin who came to take her away reads, but ultimately she lets his father kidnap him and take him away and she goes to live with the cousin with the allure of fine things. A nice parallel all the church women faun over grieu for his sermon while manon is at a party with a parody of French opera bellet, she leaves and makes love G in the church (foreshadowed by the bed on stage). Later they are all gambling where lesceux has gotten wealthy gambling and convinces G to do the same and does but is accused of cheating. They are arrested and while his father has him freed Manon goes to prison. HE awaits her transfer with hired guns who are scared off and lexcaux just pays them off. She sings of the past love with him and regrets and he sings of the future but it is too late and she is sick from the ordeal of prison and dies in his arms where she again refers to herself in the third person so ends the story of manon lescaux.
Notes on the production
_____________________________________
Composer………………..……..…Jules Massenet
Manon Lescaut………………… Lisette Oropesa
Chevalier Des Griux…………. Michael Fabiano
Guillot De Morfotnatine……Carlo Bosi
De Brétigny………………….…….Brett Polegato
Poussette……………………..……Jacqueline Echols
Conductor…………………….…… Maurizio Benini
Metropolitan Opera
10/26/19