I'm No Pretty Woman

Okay. So I gave up my favorite night of television viewing (after already quickly falling behind on my TV over the weekend just when I had caught up and cleared my ENTIRE backlog) last night (missing Friday Night Lights, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Boston Legal) (although, Wed and Thursday are also my favorite nights of television viewing...hehe) so that I could attempt to be cultured.

So I checked out Toronto's new Opera House (the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts) to check out the COC's (hehe. dirty...) new production of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte.

I always remember the scene in Pretty Woman where Richard Gere tells Julia Roberts that there are the people who LOVE opera, or those who can appreciate it but never take it fully into their hearts. Then we see Julia completely taken into the Opera making Richard Gere fall even more in love with her.

Yeah well... I can appreciate Opera and I'm glad I went but I don't think I love it the way Richard Gere describes it. I mean. I really try. This is what? the 5th Opera I've seen, and so far only truly loved one of them (and mostly because a) it was Pucini's La Boheme and I was already a Renthead, and b) it was the Baz Luhrman version they did on Broadway which was absolutely SPECTACULAR (plus it didn't hurt we had front row centre).

Anyways, more importantly, the new building. Well, the inside is sort of bland looking but the outside staircase, while typical architectural thesis project (ahem... like MINE (though I swear mine was better) with the box within the box and all that psychobabble, is better than I thought based on previous passby's from the outside. It really does work quite well and has a nice gathering space feel, including the stair/seating area that floats midway in the glass box that can double as a stage (used for free performances on Tues and Thurs at lunchtimes!). Something still feels lacking in the space, and I think it's in the materials somehow, and there is a beautiful possibility of a great patio on the north side of the building looking towards City Hall that is a wasted opprotunity.

Anyways, so that was my night of high culture. I think I'll stick to my big and brashy Broadway musicals again.