Aw, crap, sorry, bunj! For some reason, I'd thought you'd already seen the opera; I didn't mean to prejudice you against it.
You could well have a better experience than I did simply by adjusting your expectations. It'll probably be as hard for you to ignore the text as it was for me, but try. Or maybe you could turn it into a game of "Spot the Golden Bough Reference" or something that would make it all less painful.
I know I would've been better off if I'd known the opera was such a product of its time and that time was 1955. This mindset certainly makes it easier for me to deal with the sexual politics of, say, mid-19th century Italian operas. In fact, don't even think of it as going to an opera at all. You're going to see a masque; there will be singing and dancing, fancy dress and pretty lights, but nothing resembling a drama.
Still, seeing off_coloratura sing and act will most likely be the best part of it for you (I wish we could've stayed just far enough into Act 3 for her last big number, but that would've been unfair to our neighbours)--that is, unless of course you really get off on seeing a lithe chick writhe around in a furry otter costume.
no subject
You could well have a better experience than I did simply by adjusting your expectations. It'll probably be as hard for you to ignore the text as it was for me, but try. Or maybe you could turn it into a game of "Spot the Golden Bough Reference" or something that would make it all less painful.
I know I would've been better off if I'd known the opera was such a product of its time and that time was 1955. This mindset certainly makes it easier for me to deal with the sexual politics of, say, mid-19th century Italian operas. In fact, don't even think of it as going to an opera at all. You're going to see a masque; there will be singing and dancing, fancy dress and pretty lights, but nothing resembling a drama.
Still, seeing