The Opera: Cosí fan tutte or The Pretty Woman Reenactment

I have always wanted to go to the opera, perhaps something to do with the movie Pretty Woman and my obsession with the actress Julia Roberts when I was younger, or merely it has something to do with my involvement in Theater and wanting to see another type of stage performance. Either way, Guillaume made my dreams come true and bought me tickets for my birthday. What a sweetheart!! 

So, last night we went to the Opera, Cosí fan tutte which was written in 1790 by Wolfgang Amadé Mozart and Lorenzo de Ponte. We had no idea what the opera was going to be about until we got there, and there weren’t any reviews yet, because Guillaume had to buy the tickets before it was even showing, because the opera sells out quick. (Who knew! lol)

This is how I felt all night. Sharp, Classy, Sexy.

But first, I needed a dress. I got off work early, the day before we were going, so I finally had time to stop by a dress shop I’d seen in our neighborhood. The parallels between Pretty Woman and my dress hunt started out very similarly. Apparently my jeans, greasy hair from working all day, and worn down boots made the lady dismiss me as an actual client, but either way she made me feel unwelcome. 

At least Julia Robert's hair was clean...

I had two dresses in my arms, and after the other client left and I was the only one in the shop, I asked her to help me as I was going to an Opera and didn’t know my dress size. She played with the radio for about 4-5 minutes until settling on the least scratchy channel and came over to me. Looked at the dresses I'd selected and asked when the “party” was. 

“It’s tomorrow.”

The look on her face was enough to know that she thought I was impossible. Oh, but I don’t think our seamstress will have time to make the necessary alterations on the dress that quickly, this is impossible. I replied that I hadn’t thought of this, as I’ve never had to have alterations done except for bridesmaid’s dresses for weddings. This is mostly due to my motto while shopping, if they don’t have my size, I’m not meant to have it. I looked at her and asked, well what if the dress fits? She looked flabbergasted, well it’s very difficult to find a perfect dress; there is always a little alteration that needs to be done. 

“I’ll go to some other shop then.”

She was shocked at my response again and as she hung up the dresses in the changing room stated firmly that it wasn’t about it being the shop, but that any shop would say the same thing.

“Am I not allowed to try the dresses on then?”

“Well, yes, but…”

I almost walked out of the store just then, but I have a fighting spirit. I stepped into the dressing room, and picked the first dress, once again almost deciding not to even try it on and just go to another store, but I really liked the dress and just had to see if it fit.

I stepped out. She zipped me up. Perfect fit. 

“Wow, that looks great on you, let me get you a waist sash for the middle.”

The dress is amazing, I love it!!! (in your face shop lady!)

Oh, now you want to be helpful… I decided not to try on the other dress as it was clearly too long for me, and would need alterations. How much is it? She didn’t know, we needed to go next door to the actual boutique (apparently this was not a different dress shop, rather the outlet. Good news, that meant the dress was 50-70% off). We went next door, and the owner, Tony, was on the phone. So I started to look around and found two more dresses I wanted to try on. Luckily the woman had to go back to the store next door to help other customers and I was left with a very helpful man who was all but interested in the new freckly customer. NOW, they take me seriously. Ridiculous. 

I tried on the other dresses and liked another one and it was yet ANOTHER perfect fit. Great, now I have to make a decision on which one I want, and here that lady thought I wouldn’t find any dress that fit! Tony seemed to take a liking to me and told me he’d give me a “precio especial”, which really just meant that he gave me a good deal on the second dress if I bought them both. So, I ended up with a lovely dress for the opera and a dress for one or all of the many future weddings of our friends and families coming up in 2014. 

Me trying on the dress at the store.

The evil woman from next door returned as I was checking out, and said that I was extremely lucky to have found not one but TWO dresses. I just smiled and said, well, if I hadn’t have found one, I would have just worn one I already had. She just kind of smirked, as if she would never have done such a thing. If I like a dress, you better be damn sure that I’m going to wear it again and again and again. I don’t care if there are already pictures on facebook of me in that dress. It looks good, so “Imma wear it!”

I really wanted to do this...

The next day came quickly and I got ready, nails, hair, makeup, the whole 9 yards - which most of you know, is something I only do for very special occasions, or when I just randomly feel like spending 2 hours to look fabulous once or twice a year. Guillaume pulled out his nice suit and ties and was ready in about 20 minutes, shower and all. Boys are so lucky! 

Nice and Sharp before the show

All ready!!

We took a taxi to the Teatro Real de Madrid, which is the great Opera House that was built in 1850 in Madrid and has been putting on Opera’s, Ballets and plays every since. This is also the Theatre that Cari, Vivian and I went to last year for the Cuban Ballet. 

Teatro Real de Madrid: Opera House

A nice man outside took our photo in front of the theater before we headed inside. As we found our seats, I felt even more like Julia Roberts in her bright red gown. Everyone is looking at me, I look ridiculous, they know I’m not supposed to be here, everyone is more casual than me, what if I don’t like it... and more thoughts that Katrina and Karen assured me were ridiculous via text.

Ready for the Opera!!

To add to these emotions and the parallels between the 90s hit, we sat in a “Palco” or a private theater box with four other people on the first floor of the theater. It was fantastic. We could see the main floor where at least a few hundred people were piling in, the director of the full orchestra (with TWO oboes), all but a small corner of the stage hidden by the elegant velvet railing of our private section, and I felt like a princess (except that I wasn’t sitting in the Kings private theater box). 

Theater Box 6. Our "Palco"!!!!

Even the signs are fancy.

Us in our seats!

View of the theater from our seats. So beautiful.

The opera itself was in Italian, and there were a selection of screens that displayed subtitles in Spanish and in English, as well as a screen on the balcony level three or four floors above us that displayed a close up of the actors while they were singing. 

Our tickets to verify we weren't dreaming and we were indeed in this theater box!

I caught a few words in Italian when they were singing songs that reiterated the theme of the previously sung conversation, and followed the plot through subtitles. It was nice, because singing takes longer than reading, so you could quickly read the subtitles, then return to watching the opera and listen to the orchestra play. 

Dorabella and Ferrando, Don Alfonso, Guglielmo and Fiordiligi, and the maid in the back, Despina

The plot itself was very misogynistic presenting two couples and an old jaded man who bet the men that their lovers would betray them, proving that women’s loyalty is like the wind. The men, being extremely arrogant, not necessarily counting on their lover’s pure love, but betting on the fact that they believed themselves to be of the most noble, wealthy and charming men out there, agreed to deceive their lovers to test their loyalty. 

The conniving old man and the arrogant young men

I must admit now, that I was rooting for the women the whole time. Hoping that they would recognize their lovers in disguise and play a mean trick on the deserving idiots, but we have to remember this opera was written in the late 18^th century, by a man, and that there would be no strong, intelligent, independent women in this opera. Other than the maid who in my opinion was a terrible skank and I can’t believe she sided with the old man for gold and lead the women astray - THEY TRUSTED HER. Oh, I could write a novel on how much that character irked me at the core.  

The conniving maid who sold her girls out for a gold chain...

In the end, everything went as the maid and old man wanted, and the lovers were increasingly cocky. Although, the hilarious point of the story is that the women chose each other’s lovers in their secret admirers, which really bothered the men, obviously. I rather enjoyed this part of the opera because the men were secretly shocked and outraged, and thought they had been discovered, but actually the women were just “being women” according to the author. (The author even had the audacity to have the women sing “what do you expect, we’re just women” as part of an explanation for their unfaithful actions).

Fiordiligi, one of the main characters, singing about her confused passionate feelings for her lover

In the end, the solution was marriage, and the men were advised by the old man to just marry these two ladies because they still loved them, and to be honest, no other woman would be any different anyway, so there was no point in searching with jaded eyes for new lovers. SAY WHAT!??!

Their practically forced marriage with the "opposite" men, before the real identity was revealed.

I wish I could say that this opera no longer had real meaning in the 21^st century, three centuries after being written, but unfortunately it holds a sad truth for many people even in our society today. Although, I think many things have changed, and the ending would be quite different, some still believe this thought process to be true, and for some it is. 

Needless to say, the giant love quadrilateral made everyone unhappy.

We couldn’t help but wonder how the women in the opera feel about playing their parts in this extremely misogynistic opera each day. Do they accept it as an old-fashioned opera and merely jump into character as they sing their lines? Or do they wish to re-write the opera and represent a more modern view of women as I do?  

Dorabella and Fiordiligi

Even though the storyline really bothered me and I was disappointed in all of the character’s actions, the actors did an amazing job and god they could sing. I wonder if I would have enjoyed the opera more had I not read the subtitles, although, it was quite obvious what the opera was about. The orchestra was phenomenal and the music was written very well. 

Orchestra section and curtain call

The only bizarre thing about the entire opera was the choice of costumes for the characters. There were characters in clothing from the time period the opera was written, including the old man and maid and half of the extras, and there were characters dressed in modern-day outfits, including the main couples and the other half of the extras. I wonder if this is to show that the old man’s thoughts are “old fashioned” or that the opera holds a “truth” even in modern-day society? Either way the emotions, acting and music were magnificent. 

I encourage everyone to see a classic opera at least once in their lifetime. It was an experience I really never will forget. 

Merci beaucoup Mon Cheri!!!

Until next time,

Raelynne