Mamdani (gasp!) and Opera (???)

So this is just plain awesome.

Mayor Mamdani is teaming up with the Metropolitan Opera to offer 70,000 free tickets this season to people who have never seen a performance at the Met.

This is amazing and such a brilliant idea.

I know Timothée Chalamet recently said something like “no one cares about opera,” and, while I fervently disagree with him in broad strokes, opera hasn't done itself any favors.

Opera companies, especially the big ones, haven't done enough to overturn the misconception that opera is inaccessible. Sure, tickets up near the stage are expensive (as they are for any musical or sporting event), but seats farther back can be much more affordable. In fact, there's something almost more impressive about sitting up there because you get to experience how the voices can carry all the way to the back of a 3,000 seat house.

This is something, btw, that I'm having to adjust in my own VO journey: I was trained to use my voice like that. But enough about me.

It may also seem like you have to do homework before you go, especially since there's often a language barrier. But the program usually provides a pretty good synopsis (opera isn't Marvel; you don't need to avoid spoilers to get the full experience!), and there are subtitles. The Met is pretty cool in that the titles are on the back of the seat in front of you!

Opera isn't as hoity-toity as it may seem, either. Sure, tragic opera might have grandiose moments, but so does every form of media. Besides, if it was good enough for Bugs Bunny, you can give it a try.

And trust me on this one, Mozart could tell as good a poop joke as anyone (maybe not in the operas themselves, but he had quite a mouth on him).

Not all operas are super long, either. Yes, Wagner can sometimes be 5+ hours, but please don't do that to yourself for the first time! La bohème (which is the story the musical Rent is actually based on) has less than two hours of music. It's shorter than most movies now! Plus, my good friend is singing in it this season at the Met! Toi toi toi, Ricardo!!!

There's also a push now among the big houses to do more contemporary operas in English. This is very good and long overdue.

Before this post turns into the length of an opera libretto, I just want to reiterate how wonderful this idea is. From what I've witnessed, whenever someone who has never been to an opera before goes to see one, they, at worst, leave with a new appreciation for the art or, at best, want to see another one.

Who knows, maybe you can be one of the lucky 70,000!