Today’s review of the Atlanta Opera, Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata show is contributed by Kathy Hill. Kathy blogs at HouseofHills.org. She’s the mama to a theater kid so spends a great deal of time driving to theaters waiting in theaters, and watching theater. We are glad to have her as part of our Atlanta Parent Squad
Date Night at The Atlanta Opera
My husband and I were able to attend the Final Dress Rehearsal of The Atlanta Opera’s La Traviata. It was amazing. It was beautiful. It was breath taking even.
That’s right. I, a 41-year-old mama, went to the Opera. I’ve always thought of the Opera as something other people did. I never even considered trying it. But, when offered the tickets, I thought, “Why not?” And, my loving hubby went with me! It was a fun date night—both of us enjoying something totally new and able to share the experience with each other.
Having never been to the Opera, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they offer a translation on screen that is above the stage. We found this extremely helpful to determine exactly what was going on, but you could get the general idea just from the actors’ actions and voices.
Oh, the actors’ voices. Incredible doesn’t even begin to describe their magnificence. As a musical theater mama, I’ve seen many people sing in my day. These voices—unreal in their beauty. And, the control the actors’ had over their voices—amazing. Truly amazing. Because it was dress rehearsal, they were holding back a bit, but it didn’t matter. Each note was crisp and pure and just plain lovely.
Complimenting the voices were rich costumes and fantastic sets that transformed you all the way back to Paris in 1850. I enjoyed just looking at each individual costume and all the detail that went into the dresses and the accessories. The scenes changed three times, and each set clearly explained where the story was taking place.
Great Family Outing
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our night at the Opera, and we’re looking forward to going again. However, I have a feeling next time I’m going to have to take my drama girl. She wants to see what it’s all about. In fact, if you have a child that is interested in theater or costumes or even orchestra (We loved watching the percussion guys wait for their turn to make some noise.), the Opera is a great family outing.
Try it! You’ll like it!
A couple of first time Opera tips:
Read the Aria (what an Opera Play Bill is called) so that you the basic story before the singing begins.
Sit in the Mezzanine or above so that you don’t have to look up too much to see the translations.
Be prepared to sit. There are two intermissions so you’re there almost three hours.
More Information about La Traviata
La Traviata is being performed at the Cobbe Energy Center through March 10th. Grab your tickets quickly so you can experience the beauty. Visit www.AtlantaOpera.org for more information.
Have you been to the Atlanta Opera?
