OPERA

Last night I went to the Canadian premier of Margaret Atwood's, The Handmaid's Tale. It was a gala event with the corporate sponsours hosting pre-show cocktail receptions and there was a pre-show talk about the opera which I attended. The talk was very useful in ensuring that I got the most out of the opera. The actual opera was very good...the story was excellent, the set and costumes very effective and the music was good. But please these long curtain calls have to stop! Everyone involved in the production was called on stage, including Margaret Atwood, Poul Ruders the composer, Paul Bentley the librettist( I didn't even know what this was until last night!). All of the performers and writers etc. are being paid well for their performances and well it is traditional for the cast to take a bow, when does it end???? They should be paying the audiences for such extended applause!!!!

Fashion at the opera, while I forgot it was opening night and went in a pair of military khaki green pants and grey t-shirt, but I was comfortable in the stuffiness at the top of the balcony in the cheap seats. Some of the older people still dress for the opera, and because it was opening night there were even people in ball gowns and tuxedos. And then you get the after work crowd still in business attire, the real opera hounds in casual and sensible attire, kids in their street wear and the middle-class suburbanites who's idea of dressing to go to the opera is socks with their sandals, both men and women....look people socks with sandals is a big fashion faux pas, if you want to wear socks, wear enclosed shoes!!!! Opera was originally entertainment for the masses so different styles of dress are to be expected and accepted although in today's world expensive opera ticket prices tend to make it a more elitist affair, although most opera companies do try to make a limited amount of tickets affordable to those of us on very restricted incomes. I enjoyed the opera last night, I think I will have to read the book now. The only drawback was the cold I woke up with yesterday morning. And because of the hot streak here at the moment, the theatre was a bit warm and stuffy.

While I think that is about all my culture this trip to Toronto, but it is Art Week commencing today so who knows what other exhibits I may run into unexpectedly.