The N Word

Norma.

Bellini.

Sublime.

And Margaret Atwood.

Norma was such a great closer to my little opera season and a relief overall.

For the first time in many a show, there was a spontaneous and full bodied ovation after the performance and not just one of those half assed justifying the price of my night out ovations from a smattering of people. I don’t care who you are – if you suck, I ain’t standing and I ain’t clapping.

I didn’t have to worry about any of that as the performances were all excellent. When June Anderson in the title role and Marianna Kulikov as Adalgisa (Hi Analgesic) blended their voices together in those lovely arias, I had to choke back the tears. And Zdenek Plech as Oroveso and Attila Fekete as Pollione were very powerful as well .

It’s nights like this that make my spirit remember why it takes me to the opera. When everything comes together, there is no other force like it.

The popsicle sticks that made up the majority of the set I guess were to signify something - maybe the tenuous grip on morality that Norma and the rest of us all have? The lighting was good and the sets unobtrusive actually so I'm just being mean.

Swerve. It must be my week for sighting authors. Sitting two rows ahead of me was literary giant and walking nest Margaret Atwood. She hasn’t dragged a comb through that hair since the time that dinosaur bone she was using broke off and she gave up.

Sporting what looked like a bad home perm and a blonde feature softening rinse, she politely smiled at everyone who spied her magnificence at intermission.

This is why people like Maggie are rolling in the dough, it's all that money saved from pricey haircuts. National treasure indeed.