Manon Lescaut

Carriage return

Since I was in San Antonio and my dad loves opera, probably more than me, we decided to go see Manon. Secretly I wanted to see how it compared to the live production. The pros to seeing the HD live show are the behind-the-scenes moments. The cons are the technical difficulties in the theater - forgetting to turn the lights down, letting folks in the theater half-hour, even an hour after the start, the dick using his cell phone to chat with his late-arriving guest and then using the glowing phone to wave to here where he was sitting! Argh!

Rene Flemming served as a wonderful and informed guide of the opera and the backstage tour. Flemming's interview with the soprano showcased her love of the role and her youthful exuberance which included her performing the splits. Yikes, I can't do that! Flemming also interviewed Maestro Levine, the conductor, the tenor and the backstage crew including the animal trainers. I was right that in the production I saw on Monday that the stage and crew was positioned to have a horse-drawn carriage come onto stage but none did; in this version, the carriage did make an impressive appearance. But the second Act, the interior of an opulent and large boudoir reminiscent of something seen in Versailles, didn't come across as lush and rich on screen; it looked more green and less gilded. And the cameras used too many closeups. The final Act is this beautiful and stark landscape on a sandy beach. The set is really designed to showcase the fabulous lighting direction from Met staff. In full view, the audience experiences a symbolic and beautiful slow transition to a Louisiana sunset, glowing and gorgeous as the couple says their final goodbyes. This is completely lost, however, in the film version since they tightly stay framed on the couple. And my dad's reaction, "It took her a loooong time to die." So obviously, this opera is not for everyone.