people take their opera seriously
I have boo’d at bastardized operas here in Los Angeles. They put folks in underpants, or minimize the staging, or add their own interpretations, even in Mozart. They set it up just right — you clap separately for the singers and then the stage director (or whatever he’s called). That’s when I booed.
My friend sings in the chorus. She said that people are HATING the ‘trendy’ stuff. But the PR folks told me ‘everybody LOVES it.’
My mother, sister, and I went to see a production of Cats on Broadway. Horrible. I knew it was a mistake to go to an afternoon production, but we couldn't make the evening show. Second rate signing, second rate acting. Ugh.
Saturday evening performances are the best, always.
Opera, musical theater, symphonies, are meant to captivate and move the spirit, encapsulating you for a brief period of time in a unique and adsorbing experience.
When you start thinking about your "to do" list or checking your watch, the production has failed. It's like paying for a rental car that stalls every time you come to a red light.
By the end of the ride, most folks would be furious, too.