Opera At The Ballpark?!?!

This past Friday night, I attended my first opera. The odd thing about it was that I watched it not at the War Memorial Opera House at Civic Center. Instead, I watched it on the big screen from Section 108 in AT&T Park. Each year, the San Francisco Opera simulcasts a performance onto the screen at the ballpark and the admission is free. The general public can bring a blanket and plop right down on the field and watch an opera.

The name of the opera I saw was Lucia di Lammermoor It's the story of love being sacrificed for the "good" of the family and in the end death is rampant and no one ends up happy. I was amazed at how emotionally invested I became in the story and performance. Once the final curtain came down, I sat there catching my breath and coming back to the reality that I was actually cold in the night air at the ballpark.

I was impressed with the performances of the main characters, but was particularly impressed with the Lucia's (the Soprano playing Lucia) ability to sing with equal volume and range while laying down. On more than one occasion, Lucia was flat on her back on the floor and she sounded exactly the same as were she standing up.

Lastly, I have to thank the man who played the character of Raimondo for arranging for my special "Friends and Family" ticket. He and I met at a dinner a couple weeks back and he was able to swing these special tickets for me. This is why I was sitting in Section 108 and not out on the field.