The End of the Affair: by Heggies

Starting the 2005/2006 season was The End of the Affair. Now this was a new thing on several fronts. First it was the first opera I have seen in English. This did not stop them from having "subtitle" on the screen though which I thought was a bit strange. The second new thing was a current time era. This opera was by a newer composer and it was just different all around. I did not really enjoy the story line at all and the fact that it was in English actually was somewhat distracting to me. You would think it being in English would be helpful but I found myself trying to listen and understand and read the subtitles which didn't always exactly match up with the lyrics at the same time. Muddling in the mind to be sure.

Pros: There was only one redeeming factor in this opera which was the staging and the wonderful stained glass portion of the stage. You can kinda see it in the pictures. The stained glass was broken and then whole and then broken again during the play. In fact you got to see it break but it was impossible to see where and how it was constructed from out seats. Plus it was just pretty to look at.

Cons: I wish the story was more pleasant. I just wanted to slap the characters who somewhat annoyed me. (Not the fault of the composer or the singers) Also, I don't know if the dude was actually naked in the beginning of the play but he gave a very good impression of being naked which was troubling at the least. I do not pay money to see naked me. At least we were in the second balcony and did NOT have opera glasses. It was disturbing. I will leave it at that.

Must See Rating: *

Image credit here and here