Carmen, 2025
Palladium Theater
St. Pete, FL
… more pix on Reddit; St. Pete
The last production of St. Pete opera‘s 19th season; and they’ve been in the black. They forewarn of gunshots. It opens with the famous aria Habanera.
Georges Bizet’s 1875 Carmen. Nth time, the same joy.
Who’s your most favorite Carmen? Denyce Graves (1964-) for me. Saw her with the Met in 1997, it was during her prime. No one has come close since.
Again, late comers are allowed to be seated. One of ‘the thing’ at this theater is actors often going through the orchestra section to get on the stage. Tonight, few seconds or a minute after this video was taken at 7:46, the actors walked the same middle isle to the stage. This is a very dangerous situation, aside from the etiquette. Why would the theater allow the late comers to come in?
After the intermission, it will be the can opening symphony: puchi, or pop, the brief but sharp soda cans opening sounds, like in a ball park one after another 此起彼伏 forming its own symphony. I get it that you allow the audience to bring in their drinks. But can you please open the can before handing it to the opera goer? It’s simply disgusting.
… It feels so high school. If you act like a high school, you remain at high school level.
Palladium Theater is about to have a $10m major renovation, that was announced last year (abc; college; my palladium). Hope the new theater would have a better policy re the late comers.
Dinner at Red Thread was wonderful so is to discover a city green space.
