Say Billy Budd, Do you think that you Should?

Kevin, Natalia and I went to see the opera Billy Budd last night. We met Mark at a nearby pub so he could give us the tickets and a programme (he was the one who saved my life by getting replacements when I accidentally threw away my tickets). We had a pint with him and his mates before rushing off at 7:10 to get our coats checked in.

It was the first time we'd been to the ENO, and Kevin's first time seeing an opera. The place was packed to the rafters with mostly gay men and grannies. We had barely sat down when the lights went down and the curtains were lifted.

The opera follows the story of Billy Budd, happy-go-lucky beautiful sailor who creates an enemy in the Master of Arms because he's too good-looking and nice for his own good. Knife fights, shirtless men, sea battles with the French, cabin boys in white wigs, and much sighing for handsome Billy Budd ensues. If you have read Melville's short story, or seen any of the film adaptations, you know the story doesn't have a happy end.

Despite being 3 hours long, it went by fairly quickly. The story moves along without too many soliloquies (is that even the correct way of calling those interminable scenes when the characters sing their distress?), and although there was a minimum of set pieces it was all compensated by the large cast of bears portly men on the ship. There is even a group of boys, no older than 8, who scurry around like mice and get canned by the Master of Arms. At one point, when the ship is about to face the enemy, they run across the stage wearing what appears to be jock straps on their heads.

It was the third time I saw an opera (the first was Rigoletto in New York; the second was Woyzeck in Florence). It didn't feel as boring as those two operas, though it may also be that I've grown a little more mature and capable of enduring this art form. I spent a considerable time watching the orquestra, wondering what kind of people become tuba players, whether they go out driking together afterwards and what kind of salary they earn. Afterwards, Kevin and Natalia went scrounging for food while I took the Tube home. There was an interesting documentary on TV about the science-fiction writer John Wyndham, who wrote The Midwich Cuckoos (the novel that inspired the movie "Village of the Damned"), but I couldn't see it till the end because Natalia is using the couch as her bed until the mold in her bedroom gets dealt with by the landlord.

Sailor in Need of New Ship

Who would like to make me a Livejournal icon? Now that we (free account users) can have 6 icons, I'm debating if I should use my old ones or not. I wouldn't mind some new icons if people are feeling creative, or wish to share some of their creations. Credit given, of course, and a special kiss sent out to you when I stand underneath the mistletoe.