Last night, tkp and I attended the Seattle Opera's production of Falstaff. It was a far different experience from the only other I've seen there, Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle paired with Schoenberg's Erwartung. That was an incredibly intense visual and musical experience, unlike anything I'm likely to see again, while Falstaff was much more traditional comic opera.

The production itself was charming: as we wandered in, there were singers on the stage, milling around, stretching, talking--one with a dog, that arrived from somewhere and was not part of the show--and dressing. The back curtain was absent so you could see right through to the wall of the theater. The set was composed of a sort of boardwalk around three side, with stairs and tables and things which were moved around during the course of the show. I think the "behind the scenes" aspect was probably justified by the several references in the libretto to singing. Regardless, it was lighthearted and fun, and set the tone that this was not serious business, though when the opera started everyone was in full costume and the backdrop descended.
( more thoughts )