Dido and Aeneas

Last night was the first time we went to a student opera production of the U. of Washington.

We've always talked about doing this, but for whatever reason never actually made it happen. It was held at the tiny Meany Studio Theater with a small baroque orchestra and a simple set that looked like it could have just been part of the theater (I thought it was part of the theater, but Drake correctly guessed it was a set...we looked closely at it afterward).

The opera was very short... about an hour... originally there was an extensive prologue but the music for it is lost. Overall, it was well done, though the Aeneas seemed stiff and was not quite convincing as a Trojan hero. His costume didn't help: it looked like he was wearing a gold metallic v-neck sweater from the bargain bin at K-Mart. His skirt looked similarly modern, with some gold metallic trim. It contrasted sharply with the women's costumes, which were elaborate and beautifully done.

Before the opera started, the man in front of us enthusiastically stood up and said to some friends a few rows back "Dido is a student of mine!" It probably loses in the retelling, but he seemed happy to be teaching the Queen of Carthage.

Then, on the way back (via Capital Hill to get some dessert), we drove past an apartment building we've never seen before: the Iliad, which is hard to miss because of the enormous sign on its facade. You might say that made it a truly EPIC evening.

Seattle's Iliad