To Do: Xerxes

Rob and I went to the opera last night to see Xerxes. I considered cancelling altogether in favor of packing for Japan, but I’m so glad I didn’t. This was my favorite show of the season so far!

Weighing in at a whopping 3 hours and 40 minutes, with Handel’s famously repetitive “second verse same as the first” phrasing – this opera could be a beast. But the clever sets, a sense of humor and amazing vocal acrobatics of the singers made it a breeze.

I loved the staging especially. The action was set in a 1730’s pleasure garden complete with wandering tourists, cactus conservatory, sculptures, ruins and bocce ball. If we were still living in our Victorian apartment with ample molding I would have been tempted to immediate paint a mural of trees on the walls like they had on stage.

There’s one more show this Saturday – I highly recommend going if you have the chance!