This is Not a Review of Carmen

So...I went to the opera tonight. A couple of my students were in the chorus of the opera Carmen, which is being performed by the Madison Opera this weekend, so I went to see it. I've never been to an opera in Madison before, and this would have been the perfect opportunity to write a nice pleasant blog about my experience. But no. I just can't do that. Because this is mostly what I was thinking about during those three and a half hours...

One of the most well-known songs from Carmen is Toreador. Here's how it really sounds (main melody begins around 1:20):



I, of course, can't help but think of the Three Stooges version:

Toreador-ah
Don't spit on the floor
Use the cuspidor
That's what its for

I mean, how do you not think of that? It's so catchy!

One of the other very well-known songs from Carmen is the Habanera aria that is sung by Carmen herself. Check out Maria Callas singing it. It is stunning:



But...okay, has anybody seen that Bertolli commercial? You know..."I make-a lasagna, I take all day!" It was really hard not to laugh. Oh god...check it:



Also, every single person in the audience is so noisy! Everybody waits until there's a break between songs and they all clear their throats relentlessly, cough, shuffle papers around, open the crinkly wrappers of the sweets from their purses...it's a ridiculous cacophony of unnecessary noise. It reminds me of this Family Guy clip that makes me cringe and crack up at the same time:



Oh man. I am just not mature enough to go to the opera. Okay, I totally enjoyed it. But if you're interested in actually hearing how it was, check out Maddie at Dane101 or Emily at The Lost Albatross, both of whom were live blogging at the opera. Very cool idea...and very hilarious to see a table full of bloggers and laptops in the lobby of the Overture Center. I hope it catches on!

Okay. I'll leave you with this lovely interpretation of Habanera. Fantastic.