I’d pretty much had it with the clients that week. They were unprepared for the project, and it wasn’t going too well. A big problem with that was, nobody seemed to care, except me. Frustrating. The pressure’s on, so you do what you can, trying to get out ahead of somebody else’s screwups, but I have my limits.

By Friday, even I didn’t care any more, but I wanted a break. Quick as a wink, I bought a plane ticket to New Orleans and a good seat at Lucia di Lammermoor. Problems solved.

Nothing is quite like the experience of seeing an opera that you’re already familiar with, and enjoying the luxury of listening and watching, without working to put it all together.

No big surprises in New Orleans, and the main roles, especially the soprano, were filled by very capable performers, all unknown to me. The sextet was done perfectly, pulling us right down the emotional whirlpool (so why not an encore, guys and gals?)  Katrina Galka (not pictured in the online header) knows what she’s doing, and would stand out even if she weren’t doing a knockout blood-and-madness scene on the stairs.

I think Lucia is a better composition than, say, Boccanegra or Aida, because the story moves right along, the songs are solid and not overlong, and the stage-time is spent well. (Getting a little down on my man Verdi, with a few recent misses among the hits.) 

Even better, New Orleans deleted a low-value scene where the guys meet and agree to a duel to the death. Not needed, Enrico!  Edgardo is going to run his sword through, single-handedly, so just stay home!

Lucia keeps you on the edge, even if you know exactly how they are all going to go down. Sure, the program notes suggest you take note that this fun story will portray “mental illness, a forced marriage, an offstage murder, and suicide”. Didn’t stop the woman next to me from bringing in her little 7-year-old daughter for a cheery matinée. (Thankfully, they both left before the blood started to flow.)

Arturo, the misfit dope!  In New York (2011, with Matthew Plenk), he was a wet-behind-the-ears youngster, sheepishly pushed into Enrico’s trap, never knowing what hit him. But in New Orleans, he’s all grown up, but they have him overdressed, over-cultured, thinking he’s snagged Lucia the young beauty because he’s so rich. And because he wears two capes at once, flowery boots, tight leather pants, and a goofball feather in his expensive hat.  

Ha ha!  He’s too rich and too fancy for this crowd, but Enrico doesn’t care, and Lucia doesn’t think about all that. She thinks about her guy Edgardo, and fillets the pompous Arturo in a trice, with somebody’s hunting knife. Arturo’s a short-timer, but nobody ever misses the guy.

For me, the sets were new and different, while still maintaining the old-fashioned look of Walter Scott’s mysterious Scotland.  Plus, the music came across better (my third time through), and the afternoon was a delightful escape.

I think New Orleans needs an older, more rustic opera house. Mahalia Jackson is a fabulous place – the ushers are helpful, the seats are great, and views are perfect, and the sound is as good as it gets.

But Lucia made it’s US debut in this city back in 1841, probably the French-language version for that population. Heavy history here, so I half expected New Orleans to be using a jaded wooden building, steeped in 19th century charm and low on creature comforts – maybe with wrought-iron balconies. No way. This place compares favorably with Houston and Seattle, which are the best new houses that I know about.

It’s great, and besides, after the show, I ambled over to the French Quarter and had some gumbo and a cold mug of Hopitoulas, on the patio in the warm March sun. Chatted with a pair of women from Canada, and a Korean fellow showing his dad the city for the first time. Ordered up some bread pudding, and forgot the clients and their silly problems!

Twelve months out, New Orleans is planning L’elisir d’Amore, and it’s on my calendar already.