I, however, did not enjoy this opera in the same sense as the last. While I still enjoyed dressing up and the culture and shit, my snarky self just couldn't hold it in this time.
We saw The Pearl Fishers, a French opera. I took French from 7th grade through college. I should've been able to translate the entire opera, right? Wrong. Good thing they had subtitles. Anyway, the story is a love triangle. Two friends, or, amis (heh), are in love with the same woman. One, a handsome, fit baritone. The other? A fat, feminine tenor. Guess which one she loved? Idiot. (Me? Snarky.)
Needless to say, 5 minutes into the opera is pretty much when the snark started. I took one look at the fat man, whose outfit didn't quite fit and thought, "Oh, come ON. That's not even realistic." Plus, all the men had really long hair and most of them (except the fat one, which I appreciated) were shirtless. I didn't realize France was full of long-haired shirtless men. Who knew?
Anyway, back to the story... the woman happens to be some sort of mystical creature. With her song, she can ward off evil spirits. The baritone, the leader of the island (with a nice chest), asks her to keep watch over their island. She cannot take off her mask or have any friends, boyfriends, lovers, or husbands, only sing. And, for all her hard work, they're going to give her a pearl.
Well, that would certainly work for me. (Snark.)
Act II began in the woman's bedroom. We watched as the maids made up her "bed." It was, in fact, a rock. With a sheet. I leaned over to my cousin-in-law and whispered, "So, protect our island, don't have any fun, and we'll give you a pearl and a nice ROCK to sleep on." And then I got the giggles.
The giggles is a terrible affliction that runs in my family. My mom, sister and I happen to get the giggles in the most inappropriate situations. Basically, any time we're supposed to be quiet. It happens in church, at weddings. At funerals. It's terrible. There was one wedding we got the giggles so badly, we had to leave the church. And then we were laughing so hard outside the church, someone had to ask us to leave. There was also the time, in church, when my sister had to leave while everyone else was sitting down. People thought she was crying and that something terrible had happened to her husband. She had a dozen people come up to her after church to find out if she was okay.
So, the giggles are bad. And I got them during Act II. I would calm down a little and wouldn't look at my cousin-in-law for fear they would start up again. I could hear her, though, which would start me all over again. Or I would look at the rock and start up again. I was afraid I was going to have to leave the scene of the crime. But, finally, the scene ended, the rock was taken away and I calmed down.
In Act III, the baritone felt bad for sentencing his tenor friend and the tenor's girlfriend to death. The girlfriend came to the baritone to ask for mercy, and he got angry all over again. But then he realized that she was someone who had saved him from something (I don't know, it was in French), so he decided he would save them. How does he save them, you ask? He burns down his village, so the angry villagers will leave the two prisoners alone, and then he sets them free. When the villagers find out what has happened, they kill their leader.
Okay, he's the leader, right? He was the one who originally told the villagers to leave the two alone (because he loved his friend). He's also the one who told the villagers to kill them (when he realized his "friend" stole his "girlfriend"). Couldn't he then tell the villagers (again) to leave the two alone? He's the leader. He had asked, in Act I, if the villagers agreed to do as he says. They all agreed. So, what was the problem here?
If it were me, I would've just told them all, "Hey, that thing about killing those people? Forget I mentioned it. Go about your business." And everyone would've lived happily ever after. Well, except for the baritone, who was womanless. But, with that chest, he would've picked up a new woman in a second.
See? Snarky. Can't even enjoy the opera for the tragedy.
But, the music was beautiful, especially the harmonizing duets. The tenor, while unattractive, had a gorgeous voice. I could look past his vest creeping up, exposing his belly. He kept tugging at it, which now makes me feel bad for making fun of the outfit. He was probably thinking, "I have a great voice, I'm too good for this stupid outfit they put me in."
Gah, there's that snark again.
