Onegin at The Met....

I'd been looking forward to last Saturday night for many many months. I'd bought my ticket the moment they went on sale, and booked my ill-fated JetBlue (JetPoo!) flight in October. It's been a long, Diva-less winter, and I was excited to see Renée on stage, performing a role.

God, I love the Met. There is really no other place like it - the plushy red velvet seats, the gold gilt interior, the large majestic stage, the sparkling chandeliers (I still get a thrill watching them rise up to the heavens before the performance starts.) And it was beyond cool to maybe take a stroll to the ladies' lounge and exchange a hug and air kiss with someone I knew - and scan the audience and see friends sitting there - in the front few rows....

It was my first Russian opera - the music was gorgeous, the staging gorgeous, and the incomparable Ms. Renée was simply breathtaking. The sets were spare - but it worked - highlighting the drama, and the story, and the principal singers. Highlights for me were - well, anytime Renée was on stage, the pretty (if lengthy) aria by Ramon Vargas.... and I'll be honest, the scene where Dmitri takes off his shirt. You could hear sharp intakes of breath all around the auditorium.

Contrary to what some people (Nosy Tom) happen to think, going backstage after a performance, to greet the Diva, is INCREDIBLY cool. All of the assembled TBV groupies met backstage and waited in eager anticipation. We chatted, we snapped photos, we talked about the opera, and suddenly.... there she was. As many times as I have met her, I still find myself at a loss for words. She makes it so easy to talk to her though, and I am a lot less shy around her than I used to be. She spent time with each person, signing and taking pictures. She is sweet and gracious and so generous with her time. She is a very very classy lady.