L'opéra, l'ennui

Last night I had a marveilleux experience at the Théatre Graslin with the Opéra de Nantes. It was really amazing. The singing, the orchestra, the staging - everything was quite excellent. I have to say, Puccini's Madama Butterfly impacted me a lot more this time around than the first time I saw it in Seattle. (Of course, Seattle has just built a new opera house so maybe it is better these days...) At any rate, I thought it was a little ironic that the opera playing here now is the only one I've previously seen, but it was nonetheless a powerful experience. Quelle tristesse! Maybe I'm just a sappy sort of chick, but I have to admit, I cried a little when Butterfly said her final goodbyes to her son. (Don't mean to spoil the ending for anyone, but she kills herself right after that...) Opera can be really moving if you get into the right frame of mind.

The audience certainly loved it. They clapped for about ten minutes after it was over. (I thought my arms were going to fall off.) The singers just kept coming back onstage... again and again... for more bows. It was kind of funny. I noticed a similar phenomenon at the movie theater - everyone in the French audience remains throughout the credits, something that is rare indeed in American theaters (where everyone jets out ASAP after the final fade-out). Maybe they appreciate the effort that goes into entertainment more than we do. Or maybe it's just a cultural politesse thing. J'sais pas.

One of my friends suggested maybe they like it so much because it embodies a popular theme in France right now - the despicable American. Ha ha. (Pinkerton sure is a jerk, after all. Or, even more true to the American stereotype perhaps, he is not purposely evil - just someone who is naively careless about the disastrous consequences of his selfishly-motivated actions...) It's true that everyone you encounter in a bar here wants to know who you're voting for and will keep talking endlessly about the stupide and terrible George W. Bush. They like Kerry because supposedly he speaks French and has Irish heritage... are either of those things true?? Oh, well. Politics is definitely a hot topic right now, so I can only imagine the fervor in the United States that must be growing as the election approaches. If only I knew who to vote for. The more I think about it, the stronger the divisions in my mind become. Well, I'm sure I'll figure it out by November. (Don't really have a choice!) It's hard being out of the country at such a monumentous time, given my interest in politics. Dommage.

As for l'ennui I mentioned in the title, I think I'm partly going nuts over here with nothing to do for hours at a time. God knows I should do something. I suppose reading French books, listening to the radio, watching the news, all of these things are adding to the cultural experience and to my language abilities. But nonetheless I feel like I'm doing nothing. I think of the newspaper, prelaw society, orchestra, community service, senate, piano lessons, everything I do back home and I just feel like there's this great big void in my life! I don't know what it is in my genes or whatever that has cursed me to desire constant activity, but it is a habit that is très difficile to break. I think it would have been a good idea for me to travel this weekend but I didn't get organized soon enough... Besides, it's Le Weekend de Patrimoinage, that is to say, Heritage Weekend, so all the museums are open for free, etc. It should be neat. I hope!