I've never been to a real opera. I think in order to enjoy it, though, I would
have to study it first, and attend with some kind of foreknowledge of what it
is that I'll be observing.
I had an aunt who lived outside San Francisco who was a big opera fan, and
she said it was essential that you read the libretto so you know what's going
on. I suppose she attended whatever operas they have in the San Francisco
area.
There is a semi-professional group that does a low budget series in Los Angeles
called Casa Italiana, based in St. Peter's Parish Church just on the outskirts of
the Chinatown area, on Broadway (curiously enough!). They put on about 4
performances every year. I went to one of them, Manon Lescaut (Puccini).
With the limited knowledge I have of orchestra and "stage" singing, the technical
aspects were pretty good, but I have to say that overall, I was not "bitten by the
opera bug." You might say this is the "minor league." The musicians and actors
are either professional or semi-professional. I suspect my enjoyment of the
whole thing was harmed by the person who invited me, because he "did not
want to spoil the plot" by telling me anything about the story. He suggested
that I do not read the brochure they passed out, and so I was pretty much
lost during the whole thing especially since it is sung in Italian, which I do not
know. If I had read the libretto first, I think I would have had a lot more
involvement with the performance, and this stupid idea of "spoiling the surprise"
of the thing is a Hollywood corruption of the art of theater, IMHO.
This theater group makes the world of opera within reach of the regular
community, for tickets are about $40 and that includes a nice dinner of
roasted chicken, sides, beverage and an excellent spumoni dessert. My one
complaint is that the seating is cramped.
St. Peter's Church Hall is at 1051 North Broadway. There is a bronze statue
of the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus as babies, that is right within reach
of visitors on the porch of the Hall. The church next door has a very unusual
altar, made of marble, and is in the shape of a boat, with St. Peter sitting
upright in the bow, although it is used as Newmass altar. It seems likely that
it was originally set close to the wall, and moved away in 1969 for the new
orientation. If so, it could reasonably be moved back to where it belongs!
There are some fine, traditional statues inside the church. This parish is one
where the Italian immigrants congregated in Los Angeles, as they did in San
Pedro by the Port of Los Angeles, at Mary Star of the Sea parish. In an
otherwise culturally deprived area like Los Angeles, these two places are not
surprisingly dear to the hearts of many.
St. Peter's puts on a St. Joseph's Table every year. I was surprised to find out
that a lot of Catholics don't know anything about St. Joseph's Table. That could
be a thread of it's own, I suppose. It's always held around March 19th. It used
to be ONLY on March 19th, but a lot of places now move it to the closest
weekend so as to attract participation of more people. I'm not so sure that
it does that, as a lot of people go out of town or have other plans for the
weekend. The idea is everyone gets a free plate of spaghetti and a dinner roll,
and you can add various things for a nominal fee, such as amazing Italian
sausage for $2, or a slice of pizza for $1.50, or coffee or a canole, or spumoni.
In Los Angeles, there is a St. Joseph's table at St. Peter's and at Our Lady
of Perpetual Help in Santa Clarita, as well as several other parishes. Area
merchants contribute cakes, wine, gift baskets, pastries, or elaborate breads
baked in the shape of animals. There are various clubs that staff vendor
booths selling produce, religious items or raffle tickets. A full bar is also
there, that is, they have beer and wine and a few hard liquor options, all at
very reasonable prices (for a change!). They make it a very festive
atmosphere, all in the name of the Patron of the Catholic Church, St. Joseph.
The tradition has a fascinating history. And this is not unrelated to the history
of opera, it seems to me. Going to the opera should be a cultural experience.
The great opera houses of the world have architecture that proclaims the
dignity of the person who visits there. You should get the feeling that your
attendance is a welcome thing, and that you are part of the experience of
the performance. You should not be an isolated observer like you are at a
movie theater or watching Television.
Topic: Does anyone go see operas anymore? (Read 2291 times)