7
Last night we went to the free screening of Carmen which was put on by the Montreal Opera. We were trying to decide whether to go or not for several days and finally our friend Edith called and asked us so we finally decided to go. It was a very hot day (30 C) so it was nice to get out of our apartment and by 8 there was a nice cool breeze coming off the river. We arrived just as it was starting at 8 PM and there was a massive crowd already there. Even more people than the film festival last year!! L’esplanade was packed full of people and there was a massive screen set up on the edge of St. Catherine st. We ended up sitting in the (empty) fountain by the contemporary arts museum on what Edith joked were the “balcony seats†since we sat on the ledge of it just above the information tent. Edith dropped something on the tent after the first act, but was able to get it off the tent roof with some help from the people working there! We watched the first two acts and after realizing that each act was about 1 hour long, decided we couldn’t stay to the end of the 4th act (around midnight). So we left at about 10 and got home by 11.
The opera was very good and I was impressed by the singers. It is one thing to sing well and another thing to act well, but to do both well is quite a feat. Sometimes they were singing while they were dancing, fighting or embracing (well, Carmen is about seduction after all!).
I was interested to notice that many of the people outside dressed up as if they were going to the opera – dresses, shawls, and suits! There was a cute couple next to us who had even brought champagne glasses and mineral water in a bucket of ice. Also, they had English and French subtitles displayed on smaller screens which was really handy. Since the opera was written and sung in French, it was good practice to read the French e-liberetta.
I hope the opera does it again next year – definitely a lot of fun. Although I hope they have it a bit earlier so it is easier to get home (considering the metro stops running after midnight and the opera ended at midnight!)