Manon Lescaut

I went to see Manon Lescaut down at West Bay Opera this evening. Raina drove up from SJ and met me there.

It was a good show . . . absolutely gorgeous music. Truly. I'd never heard Puccini's Manon story all the way through before. And, there were some beautiful moments: most notably (for me) the Act II duet in which Manon and des Grieux are reunited. It is bliss for Manon - who begs her lover's forgiveness for having run off with another, richer man, but it is torment for des Grieux. He was heartbroken - the anguish written all over his face, and oozing through his body. It was just a beautiful, real moment - one infused with emotion, and then heightened to the drama that is verismo opera.

CPT asked me to record the performance on his mini-disc. So, there I sat, the mic discreetly hidden under the flap of my messenger bag, while on the supertitle screen the words "recording devices strictly prohibited" flashed before the audience. Heh heh heh . . . my own little rebellion! Mom would be proud.

Poking around backstage afterwards, it was nice to talk to colleagues I'd not seen in a while, and make new acquaintences. Just more opportunities for networking, I suppose. There were a bunch of folks both Raina and I knew in the show, and then I also ran into the bass from the Brentwood Messiah last December (he recognized me, but it took me a minute to realize who he was under all the make-up and wigs). Not to mention that it's good to show up at performances and hobnob with the conductor and director - just to remind them of your face and that you're still in the area. In tonight's case, I like very much the conductor and the director, so it was good to see them.

Networking is a necessary evil, for any profession, I think. It's not necessarily my most favorite thing to do, unless I actually know the people in some sort of capacity. I just don't like 'small talk;' I'm not that great at it, and I don't know, I'd rather do something else!

whew. okay. I need sleep . . .