I would have never thought to go watch an opera, so when I got free tickets to go see one, my first reaction was, I guess I’ll go. The Pacific Opera Project (POP) produced Pagliacci, an opera set in 1940, at the Heritage Square Museum lawn. This opera was outdoors and sung in Italian with English supertitles, so I was not the most enthusiastic about going. What about all the mosquitoes that come out at night? What if the weather is hot? Will the seats be comfortable?
When we arrived, we immediately claimed our seats on the lawn because it was on a first come, first serve basis. Our tickets were for the second row of seats and we arrived early enough to get a seat in the middle. We sat behind the first row which was behind a few rows of round tables. I hoped that nobody tall would sit in front of me because all the seats were on the same level. Once we saved our seats, we decided to walk around to look at the houses. We had brought dinner and drinks (you were allowed to bring whatever you want!), but the food can wait.
I imagined Heritage Square Museum to be a (very) long row of historic architectural buildings, but I was a bit surprised there weren’t as many houses as I imagined. There were houses on both sides of the path, and while it wasn’t what I was expecting, I did think it was very cool. Each house had a sign in front of it to talk about the history. Some of the houses looked really fancy and pretty. You could even walk behind the houses too if there is a path. We weren’t able to walk inside, but you could see through the window – I was just scared I’d find something staring back at me. There were even chickens in front of one of the buildings!
There was a booth selling some items, and another area for a pizza truck. Since we brought our own dinner, we went back to our seats to eat. I had a big salad, which I later regretted because it actually started getting chilly. Before the performance, there was also someone walking around on really tall sticks!
The opera started with the organizer thanking everyone for being there and talking about the other upcoming performances. Then, the music started. There was a live orchestra! The music sounded really great. One by one, more and more characters came out singing as the opera began. There were so many children running around for the performance, so a lot of their family members were watching in the audience too. The main set was driven in by a car, which we saw earlier when we were looking at the houses. That is such a smart idea!
After the first half, there was a 20 minute intermission. We stayed in our seats and discussed the first half of the performance. Then, it was time for the second half.
The opera ending was pretty abrupt. *SPOILER ALERT* It was a tragic ending – the wife dies, then the lover dies, and then the leader announces that the comedy is finished. That was the end. The cast members came out and took their bows, and the audience dispersed. There were no other announcements. Everyone just left.
I was very impressed at how long the cast can sing for – especially the female lead! She had so many lines to sing. Since the opera was sung in Italian, I had to keep looking back and forth at the screen and at the performers. I wished the supertitles were closer to the center of the stage. I also wish this venue didn’t only have porta potties! The seats…were not the most comfortable. The chairs were placed right next to each other so there wasn’t much space between you and the person next to you.
Overall, I had enjoyed the opera and live orchestra. It was a cool experience, and I’d definitely look into some of the other operas coming up. It would probably be even more interesting if it was an opera based on a story I know!