Opera matinee: a few pensées

Hand wringing anxiety over what to wear to the opera...giving way to frustration...giving way to giving up.

Disappointment at the renovations to the theater, finally reopened post Katrina. I mean really, off-purple walls?? The bathrooms were nice, however.

Dennis almost bringing his McDonald's large sweet tea into the lobby. I encouraged him, but he changed his mind at the last minute.
Pity.

Noticing that I was wearing almost exactly the same costume that Alfredo wears in the second act. I guess that made it either appropriate or not, depending on how one looks at it.

The news that La Traviata had had its New Orleans debut on this very date in 1857, only five years after its debut in Venice.

Someone farting, not once, but twice.
Silent, but deadly.

Gorgeous set for the first act. Now, that's what I'm talking about. Full-on Baroque, baby.

The whole opera was actually wonderful. The lead, Violetta, especially was incredible, albeit this is from a philistine like me.

Memories of my last time at the theater. I pointed out to Dennis where
the unfortunate incident of the 200 pound woman in a light yellow chiffon dress/no-limits wrestling occurred. Though technically it occurred in the whole aisle.

The sight of a friend of a friend, out with a woman 3/4th better looking than his wife. Dennis, laughing: "A courtesan?" Me: "A courtesan in a pantsuit maybe."

A family, all four of them, including two toddlers, wearing seersucker suits.

Two straight men with heavy Yat accents talking alternately about "duh Saints" and "Cawmuhn" (either the previous opera or one of their mothers-in-law, hard to tell sometimes.)

The lovely sound of three beautiful young Russian women talking in Russian, descending the staircase.

The smell of post-opera boiling crawfish from the parking lot. Where else but here?

The sight of a flock of pigeons viciously fighting over a Popeyes chicken bone on mezzanine balcony. Where else but here too.

German Chocolate gelato and banana cupcakes in my old neighborhood, in an old camera store, newly renovated.