A few items of saved news chum, all having to do with various types of entertainment:
- What Is Opera? No, I’m not referring to the web browser. Rather, I’m referring to the question of what the difference is between opera and a sung-through musical. I was thinking about this last week at Les Misérables, which is essentially sung through. Why is Les Misérables or Evita or Rent… or for that matter, even Porgy and Bess, considered to be musicals, whereas something like The Marriage of Figaro considered to be an opera? An article in the New York Times explores the difference, looking at “Séance on a Wet Afternoon”, the new opera by Stephen Schwartz, as the focus of the question. Their conclusion: words have the upper hand in musical theatre, but music is foremost in opera. I’m not sure I see the difference. For Les Miz, which is more important, the soaring music or the words of Valjean?
- Melodrama on the Small Screen. Back in the 1980s, there was a television of operatic melodrama, without the music (except for a wonderful theme). Dallas. The story of JR and Sue Ellen and Bobby and all these other folks you knew instantly by first name. Yes, it was campy and melodramatic, but the audience ate it up. TNT is bringing it back… with JR (Hagman), Sue Ellen (Grey), and Bobby (Duffy) (TNT Site). I may have another guily pleasure, depending on how well they execute it.
- Moon Over Orange County. One thing for which Dallas is remembered is the famous scene where Pam discovered Bobby in the shower. I mention this because of the risk of a bare butt, and butts were on display yesterday in Orange County. That’s because it was the 32nd mooning of the Amtrack (although there were fewer participants due to a police crackdown). Local legend sets the origins of the event inside Hutchinson’s bar. In 1979, a patron celebrating his birthday said he would buy a round of beer for anyone who mooned the Amtrak train across the street. Some did, and when the man’s birthday came a year later, a friend reminded him of his previous deal. In the last few years, however, participation has decreased. From a high of 8,000 to 10,000 in 2008, the event dropped to about 400 people in 2009, around 100 in 2010. Saturday’s event featured no more than 50 bare bums at any given time. Just remember, friends, this is how they have fun in Orange County!
