I am an opera buff, I am not ashamed to admit. I have seen operas in New York, Florida, London, Prague, Italy, and more. But not all evenings went as well as I had anticipated.
New York Metropolitan Opera, January 1996
My father and I were so excited to be at this gala event at the Met, where Jessye Norman was going to be performing in ‘The Makropulos Case’. We had the best seats ever – right in the center of of the orchestra.
The lights dimmed, the curtain came up and there was the tenor, Richard Versalle, up on a 15 foot high ladder singing the opening aria. It was a stunning set, with giant file cabinets, etc. All of a sudden, he stopped singing, and fell backward, making no sound, and landed on the stage with an awful thud. The audience was at first very quiet, and I thought, well, maybe this part of the show? But then almost immediately the audience erupted in loud exclamations, and the curtain was quickly lowered. Sadly, Mr. Versalle had suffered a massive heart attack…. and died right there in front of us!
It was unimaginable. And horrible.
Of course, the performance was cancelled, and my Dad and I went to a local pub to recover and drown our sorrows!
Verona Opera, Arena di Verona, July 1998
I had been so looking forward to seeing Carmen in this Roman amphitheater that was built in the 1st Century. It was a beautiful evening, and my friend and I, with my son and his friend, had great seats right on the main floor. The stage is massive, able to accommodate horses, all sorts of other animals, and a huge ensemble. It was breathtaking. But as the opera continued, I began to realize there was something wrong with the tenor’s voice. It progressively got worse, and my friend leaned over and asked, “Is this the way it is supposed to sound?” uh, no.
The act ended and I assumed they would substitute an under-study. But apparently there wasn’t one! So they made an announcement over the loudspeakers (really!) asking if there were any tenors in the audience!!! And yes, incredibly enough, there was one! But instead of going on stage, he sang from the orchestra pit….and the tenor on stage LIP-SYNCED!!!!
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I witnessed the ONLY lip-synced opera in history!!! and I do not recommend it! But it made for a good laugh!
PS. a friend in Washington DC was going to invite me to the Kennedy Center (he had season tickets) but after these two mishaps, he said, “Oh no! you are the Typhoid Mary of opera! I can’t let you anywhere near the Kennedy Center.” sigh.
the (mis)adventures of a traveling life 
Love this! Will look at other posts of yours. This is fun.
LikeLike
Thanks! glad you liked it!
LikeLike
Good description, Vickie. Although I think we were close to guffawing not just giggling. So much fun! (On second thought, maybe not to our seat mates)
LikeLike
i was there. At the Met. When the performer died. It was my first opera. Seated to my right was Andy, the set designer, his Met debut. to my right, Donna, my girlfriend’s sister, the costume designer, also her Met debut. Center orchestra only a few rows from the pit. Like the author of this story, I thought perhaps the tragic fall was part of the act; it being my first time, and having grown up watching Chevy Chase open SNL with a pratfall. I can describe sounds and images that need be left unsaid. My first concern was actually for the set designer. Earlier, when the curtains rose, I was stunned by the dizzying height of the Met stage. And I was memorized by the dark, imposing set. A rail-thin black ladder climbing up a hundred feet into the dark. A large man high up, much higher than the news stories reported, reaching into a comically large file cabinet drawer. I looked at the set designer in awe at his creation. And then he fell. And I knew instantly that Andy felt it was his fault. We didnt learn until hours later that it was a massive heart attack, which, as horrible as it may sound, was a relief.
LikeLike
wow! I must have been sitting right behind you! It was an experience that’s for sure. thanks for reading!
LikeLike