Not bothering w/ OT warning as we're a small, informal group here and
nothing much is ON topic anymore. The only link I can think of to this
personal story is it's like an episode out of Frasier. Something that
would
likely happen to him on one of his dates gone bad w/ some typically
beautiful woman.
This lady friend of my dad's mentioned to me months ago that she sometimes
gets an invitation to join her daughter-in-law's friend at the opera. The
friend is on the Board of the opera (doesn't this sound like a Frasier
ep?)
and she has a box. At the season premiere, my dad's friend has sometimes
been invited to dine with the Board and Friends of the Arts at the Board
room of the opera house and then see the opera from the box seat. She
sometimes is allowed to invite a guest. I had mentioned I love opera and
she
asked if I'd like to go to such an event if she gets invited this year. So
I
said, are you kidding? Sure!
So all summer I had the date (yesterday) on the calendar. She called me
this
week to see if we're still on. I said, for sure. She called me Fri.
morning
to finalize the details and to inform me that I better be properly dressed
if I don't wish to embarrass her. She let me know it's a very formal
occasion, which means black tie and ball gowns. She implied I'd be left at
the curb if I didn't pass inspection. So I ran out to a couple of discount
stores I use for clothes that have name brands, but couldn't find anything
right. Neither store had much in the way of formal wear, even though they
both used to. Oh well. I could've found something at Macy's or
Bloomingdale's but I was not about to spend hundreds of dollars on a dress
I
would likely wear only once. So I decided in the end to wear something I
already have for dress-up occasions and if she didn't like it, it's her
problem.
So I meet her at her apartment bldg. where we were suppoed to get a cab
and
the good news is, she liked how I looked. In fact, she told me I look
great
and just darling. She wasn't wearing a ball gown--just a nice silk pants
suit, so I would've been super POd if she complained about my appearance.
It's been a gorgeous weekend here, so it was a very pleasant evening. I
will
say Chicago opera fans turned out in grand style for the event...it was a
real Red Carpet event w/ a sea of fancy ball gowns and tuxes, some even
with
tails and men in tophats. I think the tophat is a bit much for 2007, but
there were quite a few. OTOH, I did see a lot of women dressed no fancier
than me, and some less so. I knew I wouldn't be receiving any invitations
to
anyone's house in the Hamptons, so I relaxed and focused on having a good
time. Turns out there was no dinner. It was just hors d'oevres, and
frankly,
I've had much better in the way of those at plenty of other events. Cash
bar
w/ choice only of champagne at $9/glass or San Pellegrino. I did have a
glass of champagne since I wasn't paying for anything else (didn't think I
would be), and I must say, it was pretty good. So not complaining.
Then I went to find my hostess. Turns out there were no box seats either.
Apparently this was another miscommunication. And there were no other
guests--it was just her and me. Even so, they were good seats: row F, just
off the left aisle, which is really pretty good. The first act came off
quite well. There was an intermission and my hostess asked me if the
female
lead was any good. I asked her what she thought and she said she sounded
OK
to her, but she's no expert on opera. I thought that was quite
strange...what do her ears tell her? One needn't be an expert on anything
to
decided if someone's singing voice sounds good or not. Anyway, I told her
I
thought she was excellent. Then she started telling women passing her if
she
liked their clothes or not. There was a lady with a white fluffy stole and
my hostess asked me what fur was it. I didn't know...she guessed rabbit or
fox, and I said it could be. She said she was going to ask when the woman
passed. I told her not to do that. She did it anyway. The woman said it's
marabou. I have no idea what that is, but find out later it's not fur,
it's
feathers. A bird kind of like a stork with fluffy white feathers. My
hostess
then tells this feather-wearing lady I told her not to ask her. Then she
touches the stole. Oy!
She asked me how many intermissions there are (I had seen La Traviata
before) but I wasn't absolutely sure. I told her one or two, I think. We
couldn't find the page in the program that tells. I know there was at
least
one "pause" which is just a couple of min. to change the set and people
may
stand to stretch, but they don't leave. But I wasn't sure about a second
intermission. So that's what I told her. Lo and behold, there is a second
intermission...it comes after Alfredo and the Baron punch each other and
Violetta collapses in illness. Everyone cheers, but the cast doesn't come
out for bows, so I would think anyone who doesn't know the opera would
assume there's more. My hostess gets up to go and I tell her there's
another
act, and she keeps going. So I figure she has to use the washroom or wants
to go out for a smoke. So I stand around stretching and looking around.
After a while, I see an usher making his way through the milling crowd and
going up to different women to ask them something. Then he comes up to me
and asks if I'm with a lady in green (it was turquoise, but what the heck)
and a cane (just like Frasier, out with his dad at the opera) and I say
yes.
He said she wants me to tell you she's not coming back. She thought it was
over and went out for a smoke and to wait for me to get a cab. I couldn't
believe it. He said she's still up in front if I want to talk to her. I
didn't, but decided I probably should. So I went to see her and she tells
me
she thought it was over and was unhappy to learn there's another half hour
act. I said, I know....Violetta has to die yet. She said she thought she
was
dead already. Well, yeah, OK, but I said didn't you find it strange that
the
cast didn't come out to take bows? No, she said, she wasn't thinking about
that and she didn't hear me say it's not over. She said she didn't feel
like
going all the way back to our seats and was too stiff to sit anymore and
was
getting a cab home. It seemed like she was hinting around I should go with
her, but I thought f** it, I'm not going anywhere. She's not sick, she'll
make it home fine and it's her problem if she's tired and wants to bail
early.
I went back to my seat and waited for the last act to begin. I watched it
and it was excellent--all beautifully done. I got a little tear at the end
too. I had a bit of a wait for a cab and the fare was $28 w/ tip (my
hostess
would've paid had we gone back together, but still, $28 is a small price
for
a gala event, munchies, a terrific show and $500 seats. The lies about the
box seat, the fancy dinner with the Board member, etc. have me PO'd, but I
take it in stride. I would've gone had I known the real circumstances---I
just dislike being lied to so that I'd go. The thing that bugs me most,
though, is free tickets and such fabulous seats wasted on a boor like that
who obviously doesn't care for opera. I can imagine how depressed my night
would've made Frasier. At least it didn't shoot my ego getting walked out
on
by an old lady with a cane.
Nat
(add sbc before global to email)
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