The crowd at these BAM HD screenings is unbearable - rude and bitchy. And I can not fathom why they would design a movie theater where every seat is bad.
Armida (Gioachino Rossini) seems to have made its way for the first time to the Metropolitan Opera as a vehicle for the incredibly talented Renée Fleming. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be the best role for her. Flemming sings the challenging part beautifully enough, but she is an excellent actor and that talent is really underutilized in the rather one-dimensional silly story.
The sets and costumes range from disappointing and dull to ugly and awful. A real let down after seeing the preview behind-the-scenes bit in the set and prop department at work on Armida. The large bugs were ridiculous hovering on stage above the enchanted forest that looked like a Pina Bausch set made out of Astro turf and pot scrubbers. The painted scrim used as an outer curtain was rather dramatic but looked like the cover of a Patrick O'Brian novel and did not fit with any other part of the set. Oh, wait -- perhaps the gigantic bat set in the final scene could compete for drama sake.
There is a bevy of tenors in the production, all of whom are excellent (if a bit short of stature). I felt the best performance was Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo.
I also enjoyed the performance by the young lady playing Love. She had the perfect cherubic face and pranced about with a carefree glee.
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