A RESOURCEFUL METROPOLITAN OPERA

AS I NOTED BACK IN “Managing Opera Chaos Part 1,” “The Met’s Franco Zeffirelli-designed production of Turandot is a perfect example of why it’s called Grand Opera.”

Calaf and the icy princess Turandot are united in the finale. Image from wqxr.org.

However, this past Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Met’s general manager Peter Gelb had to walk onstage before the show to announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to say that this is not going to be a normal night at the opera. Although our scenery will not be working, the show will go on.”

A Jammed Main Lift. Javier C. Hernández describes in The New York Times, March 21, 2024, “A jam in the Met’s main lift backstage forced the company to put on a semi-staged version at the last minute, with the cast and chorus singing from an improvised set instead.”

“On Wednesday,” Hernández recounts, “audience members were offered a refund if they wished to leave, and about 150 people did, the Met said. But most stayed, offering a hearty applause when the conductor, Oksana Lyniv, entered the pit.”

A Complex Backstage. Donald Mackay’s artful drawing of the Met’s backstage suggests the complexity of it all. In particular, moveable platforms and a main lift allow for multiple sets, even of different operas, to be poised for center stage installation. 

This Donald MacKay drawing is a favorite of my wall art, originally at the office now at home.

For insights about all the operatic coordination, see “What Happens Just Before Show Time at the Met Opera.”

 Timing…. Hernández describes, “Gelb said in an interview that the machinery jammed around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while the Met was changing sets for ‘Turandot’ after a rehearsal for Puccini’s ‘La Rondine,’ which opens next week. Crew members tried using saws to cut through steel bars to free the lift, but their efforts were unsuccessful.”

Hernández continues, “By about 6:30 p.m., one hour before the show was to begin, Gelb had to make a decision: cancel the show, or move forward with a pared-down version. He said he was reluctant to turn audiences away. ‘Everybody rallied together,’ he said.”

The Improvised Set. “The Met,” Hernández describes, “used a piece of scenery from the second act of ‘Turandot’— a wall in the imperial palace—as a backdrop, to provide some color.”  

Image by Karen Almond/Metropolitan Opera.

I recall from seeing the Met’s October 12, 2019, Live in HD production of Turandot that this is where Ping, Pang, and Pong lament their positions as ministers. This time around, all the action occurred within the first 20 feet of the stage.

An Intimate Nessun Dorma. Hernández recounts, “Gelb tried to encourage the singers by telling them that their music would be more powerful, telling the tenor SeokJong Baek that when he sang the famous aria Nessun dorma, ‘you’ll be that much closer to the audience.’ ”

“To show gratitude to the audience,” Hernández says, “Baek sang a rare encore of that aria. And the Met, unable to drop golden confetti onstage at the end of the opera because of the jam, shot it instead from the balconies, over the audience.”

I suspect a good Grand Opera was had by all. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024