BRAVO!

Courtesy of a thoughtful husband (mine), I had the pleasure of attending the final staging of The Dallas Opera’s production of Lohengrin Saturday night. It was a four-and-a-half hour marathon of a show, sung in German, with striking performances by all the leads. The spare set really allowed some of the details to stand out: Elsa’s red satin ballet flats; the delicate tulle used to maximum effect during the bridal scene; the muted pastels of the conical headgear worn by Elsa’s ladies-in-waiting; and exquisite lighting throughout. Despite a brief period of dozing in the third act (darn that glass of chardonnay at the first intermission), the singers had me riveted.  My hands were sore from clapping so much. Plus, as an added bonus, the crowd-watching between acts provided some less highbrow entertainment.  Thank you opera buffs for being so watchable in your own right.