Go see an opera!

Patrick and I saw Turandot, an opera by Puccini, in Detroit tonight. What a fantastic performance. The staging was incredible and the music was just extraordinary. And such drama! I think I was actually on the edge of my seat by the end.

But I was mostly in awe of the talent. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I tend to fall in love with talent, often resulting in declarations that our children undoubtedly will study (fill in the blank of the most recently viewed stage performance, sport or musical program here). Recently, our future children were going to learn the fiddle after our visit to the symphony, remember?

Well, I don't hold out any hope that our children will study opera. I have no singing voice. (Neither does Patrick even though he can sing some mean Axl Rose.) Instead, I will declare that we will certainly take them to the opera; I entreat you to go, too, especially if you're in Michigan.

This state is in a funding crisis that led to a moratorium on arts grants. As it is, places like the opera already struggle to survive. And have any of you been to the theater recently here in Cincinnati or wherever? Let's just say that there aren't a lot of people in the gen-X crowd, let alone y or z or aa.

With continued funding crunches, the wonderful live theaters and opera houses we have may one day shutter (as many from the 1920s and '30s already have).

I shutter at the thought. To me, there is nothing like a live stage performance to really experience the thrill of amazing talent.