Last night's Un ballo in mascara at the Met

I had not seen the score but have read the liberatti -- I love the story, which is based on an assassination attempt on Napoleon III, the censors in Naples basically wanted to gut the whole opera to keep any political incorrectness under away. Whenever a production is "modernized", it meets challenge. One of the biggest challenge is the potential negative reaction from the audience who are use to traditional set ups. I remember back when I saw "Gianni schicchi" in Philadelphia ( a shout out to my Philly singers!!), as soon as the lights went off and the curtain raised, we were given the full view of the minimalist stage set up. The lady behind me complained instantly -- "Well, that's IT for me...!" I could never understand why she judged the entire production value based on a mere look. NOW I GET IT! In Un ballo, I wanted to see the historical context in its origin, and I was afraid that my experience would somehow be compromised because of David Alden's modern approach. Also, I had been curious about Keith Miller and Kathleen Kim. One is a former football player turned classical singer; the other a friend of a friend. I'm glad I was able to see both in one production. So, on the next scout, Aida coming soon!