Opera

I had never been to an opera before, so the idea of going to an opera in Italy just sounded like an opportunity that I could not pass up. This opera, was quite interesting. I was surprised at first to find the venue in a small, outdoor courtyard set up with lawn chairs. The woman and man at the front of the door spoke English with no accent when my group and I arrived, then turned around and spoke fluent Italian to the incoming spectators. We walked in and saw the orchestra already set up at the front of the stage, practicing and each tuning their instruments. There was one harp player; I could not stop looking at her sitting there perfectly with her harp placed elegantly on her right shoulder. Of course, having a dysfunctional bladder meant I needed to find a bathroom before the performance began because it was going to be a loooong time before I have another chance. The search for the bathroom was short and easy this time, unlike most of my searches for public restrooms in Rome. Lucky being in a smaller, confined area allowed me to wander for only a couple of minutes before I ended up in the backstage at the end of the hall. On my way down the hall, there was a group of ballerinas seated in a circle around a table with perfect posture. Many others were standing around socializing with each other and already clad in their costumes. I noticed that some of them were dressed in rather simple attire. One person had a large, yellow T-shirt with a black belt and black tights. It sort of made me think that this was not a high budget kind of opera. This is not to say that it was not an excellent performance. The main character was amazing! She projected her voice so easily and clearly while still acting it out as if she was simply talking. As an international opera, I noticed there were many people of different ethnicity (based on their appearance). Overall, it was a great time and I'm so happy I came out to see it!