Metropolitan Opera: Tosca

Lincoln Center - Metropolitan Opera House

Thu, May 13 @ 8:00 PM

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist: Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Sung in Italian with Met Titles in English, German and Spanish

�Tosca combines Puccini�s glorious musical inspiration with the melodramatic vitality of one of the great Hitchcock films,� says Music Director James Levine. �From the very first bar of the piece, the opera seizes you and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last note.� Karita Mattila, who sings the title role for the first time at the Met, says, �There are so many fascinating qualities to Tosca. At first I thought, �How will it feel to kill somebody on stage?� But Tosca is like an action movie, and the drama just happens.� Luc Bondy, acclaimed for his imaginative theater and opera productions, directs. Marcelo �lvarez and Juha Uusitalo open as Cavaradossi and Scarpia, with Jonas Kaufmann, Marcello Giordani, and Bryn Terfel stepping in for later performances.

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

There is a big new "rush tickets" program, which makes a lot of very prime seats available 2 hours before curtain Monday-Thursday. Details here.

Ticket Tips:

All productions feature "Met Titles". Press the small button on the seat-back in front of you, and the text of the opera will appear (in English) on a small LED screen on the seat as the opera is performed.

There�s always a long line at the restrooms at intermission. Either sprint out right after the act bows (see below), resign yourself to the queue, or wait until the intermission is about 2/3 over.

There�s a coat check on the basement level, one floor down from street level.

Drinks are reasonably priced and usually generously poured.

Towards the rear of the house, dress is always business casual. Near the front of the house, it gets a little more formal, especially on opening nights. Extravagant evening wear is generally looked down on (literally).

Opera buffs are sound freaks. Don�t bring or wear anything that crinkles, rustles, or plays the macarena, or you�ll be glowered at all evening. Check your hearing aid for feedback.

It�s good form to wait until the curtain has reached the stage and the music stopped before beginning to applaud. This custom is seldom observed. The reason people are applauding at the beginning is that the conductor has entered the pit and is making his way to the podium.

Never: be the first to applaud the set, whisper during the opera, audibly bless sneezers.

Opera stars usually take bows after each act. Don�t be misled, the show�s not over. When in doubt, check the program, and you�ll see how many acts are intended. (They've rearranged the programs, so this information is actually buried inside the "synopsis".)

Don�t be intimidated. Operagoing in New York is an easygoing experience (with the possible exception of Wagner evenings), and there�s always a large number of novices in the audience. Sit back and enjoy.

The parking lot at Lincoln Center is worth the cost, and very convenient to the venue. You can reserve parking in advance when you purchase tickets, or separately at the Lincoln Center site.

FAQ at the Met.

ticket prices:	$20.00 - $295.00
venue:	Lincoln Center - Metropolitan Opera House
venue address:	Lincoln Center, New York, NY 10023
venue bio:	The crowning jewel of Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera House is one of the world's great stages. The beauty of the hall is stupendous, but the distance of the rear seating from the stage is dizzying.There are small electronic screens ("Met Titles") in front of every seat that can be activated to show the text of the opera (in English).
members' rating of venue:	5.0
mass transport:	1/9 66th Street / Lincoln Center
parking:	(parking)
restaurant:	click for nearby restaurants
handicap access:	"To make advance arrangements for wheelchair location tickets, please call 212.362.6000.For information and to arrange wheelchair assistance or early entry, please call 212.799.3100, extension 2204."Infrared and large print programs available. Seeing eye dogs allowed.