Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been able to sleep pretty much anywhere. If I’m tired, I’ll fall asleep; if I’m bored, I’ll fall asleep; and more often than not, if I’m in a dark room, I’m sleeping. Because of this, plays and movies and theatre-based productions make me nervous. I’m always worried I’m going to fall asleep and disappoint the person I’m with. However, at La traviata, I not only stayed awake, but I didn’t even want to fall asleep. The room was dark and I’d had a long week beforehand, but I was completely present. I was captivated and blown away by the performance happening in front of me.
The experience at the opera itself is one that I think is worth embracing. One of my best friends is involved with choir, so I gave him my plus-one ticket as a birthday gift, knowing he would be able to appreciate it. We decided to make a day of it and labeled it our ‘Sunday at the Opera,’ and if you haven’t done anything like this, I would definitely recommend it. The Seattle Opera takes place in McCaw Hall at Seattle Center, and the building is absolutely stunning. Immediately upon arrival, I felt like I was in a different world. It was sort of a “Toto, we’re not in Bellarmine Hall anymore” type of feeling. Getting dressed up and going to an elegant display of talent like La Traviata is a treat that everyone deserves. However, it’s impossible not to notice that, aside from ourselves, I don’t know if I saw anyone else around that was our age in attendance. It seemed to be almost completely senior citizens, and we were definitely getting glances. I think this was partially because I was wearing knee high boots and they didn’t really dig that, but also just a general shock that people our age were at a performance like this one.
To refresh your memory, La traviata is an Italian drama by Giuseppe Verdi. It displays an intense portrayal of Violetta Valéry, the city’s most high class courtesan (fancy prostitute). Unfortunately, Violetta is dying, and the city’s natives are more than excited about it, until Alfredo Vermont, a young, dorky, and socially confused man, stumbles upon her. He speaks to her about living a life of self-respect, because a beautiful woman like her deserves it. The story follows a tale of romance, death, societal expectations, and everything in between.
Beforehand, I was worried about the opera being in Italian, just because when I’m confused, I tend to zone out (and I don’t usually do well with subtitles), but the talent was so apparent and so mind-blowing that it didn’t even matter. While the subtitles did help, they almost weren’t even necessary because the power and tone, conveyed with the musical voices of the leads and ensemble, spoke volumes. Every line was exaggerated and annunciated in a way that made every single emotion clear, and I felt each and every exclamation echoed throughout the entire theatre. The story is the type that I feel like, if performed in English and sans song, would provoke eye rolls because of the extreme professions of love and the straight up cheesiness that came with the lines.
Each and every actor had me eating out of the palm of their hands. I think that a big part of being my age (the college student age) is that the media portrays romance a lot differently than it used to be portrayed. All of Shakespeare’s greatest romantic works were based on undying love; a grand, big, extreme love that is professed in a way that’s bold and honest. However, in modern day media, that doesn’t seem to be enough. In order for love to catch our attention, it has to be fueled by conflict or mind games, and anything more than that is desperation. This concept obviously appeals to us because it so perfectly mirrors our real lives. Somewhere along the way, love stopped being enough.
I loved the performance I saw, but there was a certain element that I had a problem with: the marketing and advertising of the production. In La traviata, Violetta is played by Corinne Winters and Angel Blue. Winters is the lead in half of the performances and Blue is the lead in the other half. The performance I saw was with the beautiful Angel Blue, and she was absolutely stunning. It’s always so incredible to see women of color in positions of power—especially when it comes to art. However, going into it, I had no idea that a black actress was going to be playing Violetta, and that’s because on every poster and every advertisement, there was a white woman on the cover. The Seattle Opera website’s homepage advertises the show, and the model is a white woman. The same thing went for the playbill, and every other poster that was scattered around Seattle. Even the preview I wrote a few weeks back includes a banner photo exempt of
Angel Blue, along with the banner photo for this review. So while I’m elated that a woman of color played the lead in an almost entirely-white production, I would have loved to see the representation extend outside of the theatre itself.
I will never seize to be amazed by the beauty and grace that comes with professional theatre, and La traviata was no exception. It’s really easy to get caught up in day-to-day life and the trials and tribulations that come with it, and sometimes, a day out is all you need. A break from reality and a step into the world of an Italian opera was the perfect end to to a long week, and I couldn’t recommend it more.
CAMERON PAYNE | If you thought groups of teens were intimidating, try senior citizens. | KXSU Arts Reporter