Ok, dinner or the subway wasn’t included for the $20, but I did secure tickets to the Metropolitan Opera House for a twenty.
Yes, they were in the family circle at the very top, but in fairness, we had a spectacular view of the entire opera house, a bird’s eye view down into the orchestra, and sub titles were at every seat. The seats below were selling for as high as $250 – and we were all seeing the same production.
On a Monday night, I was delighted to see a full house for the 3 1/2 hour production of the Marriage of Figaro (La Nozze di Figaro, listen to the overture here). With some of Mozart’s most recognizable music (yes, it contains music featured in The Shawshank Redemption) I knew more of the music than I thought I would.
The night was full of surprises. First, we emerged from the subway and rounded a corner to see the fountains and Opera House of Lincoln Center brilliantly lit up. People were appropriately dressed up for the opera – with a few in formal wear, furs, and shimmering diamonds. The costumes and sets became more elaborate as the acts proceeded. And perhaps the best surprise for me, was the presence of not only comedy, but physical comedy expertly portrayed by the cast.
Looking back.. of course I should have been impressed. The production probably has quite the budget and should come off as top caliber, extremely professional, and world-class. Other operas I’ve seen in Europe (from Berlin to Budapest to Prague..) featured spare sets, allowing all concentration to be on the opera singers. And yet, the amount of stimuli present in this production left me entranced.
While the opera is lengthy, it is also a great introduction to the pleasures of this classic art form. The subtitles ensured that jokes didn’t pass without being understood, and the use of ‘disguises’ throughout led to some unexpected surprises. And all this, for $20.
I was about to write that my parking cost more than that, but for once, it didn’t. Bestparking.com was recommended to me, and after typing in my desired neighborhood, arrival and departure time, I secured a $15 parking fee (for being in Manhattan for almost 9 hours).
NYC may be an expensive city, but it is good to know that a cultural evening can still be planned for a twenty dollar bill.
