A Night at the San Francisco Opera: Carmen Opening Night

A last minute invitation to the opening night of Carmen at the War Memorial Opera House? Naturally, I said yes. As a first time opera viewer in San Francisco I was not disappointed. The evening commenced with a pre-talk an hour before the show, fully briefed I was ready to check off a box on the ABC’s of Opera. All I’ve got left now to fully satiate my appetite for the art form is viewing Aida. My favorite thing about Carmen is the fact that she’s an outsider, a bohemian, and a woman with convictions. I must say the star of the show was Drogen, a 13-year old Gypsy Vanner gelding. His temperament on stage was incredible. He deserves all the accolades.

I spent much of the morning aggressively lolly gagging looking for a very specific tin of Louis Sherry chocolates and a picture frame as a small token of my appreciation for the invitation and last minute ticket. Before the show began I found my girlfriends in the auditorium and had what could probably be best described as a Junior League standoff. Me and my girlfriend presenting each other with surprise gifts. I was delighted to be presented with a copy of “True Prep”, which Kari said was, “made for me”.

And she wasn’t wrong. After spending just a few minutes flipping through my latest acquisition- it’s like looking in a true mirror. Feels like just yesterday I was on the phone with my parents to render aid because I’ve been fiercely unemployed for months and can’t survive off of the artichoke hearts that have been hanging out in the door of my fridge, unopened dark chocolate intended for macaroons during last year’s Passover, and the emergency tea (gross even with a spot of milk and loads of sugar) I must have been keeping for a time such as this.

& If you tuned into my last post My Unrealistic Christmas List, I’d like to impart that it’s okay to embrace modernity and speak your desires to the void.

Tis the season to dream big folks.