A Night at the Opera

Earlier this month, Brian and I had the pleasure of an evening out.  A very adult evening out!  We went to the San Francisco Opera to see Heart of a Soldier, a story about Rick Rescorla who saved the lives of many before losing his own life in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

My friend Sara is a talented soprano for the opera, so we got to enter through the stage door and get a behind-the-scenes peek.

Sara in the dressing room...

 

Makeup...

 

Wigs for various female roles...
(Those are some long locks!) 

 

And the gents get a little help looking just right for their roles too...

 

Costumes, Orderly and Ready for Each Change...

 

 

Sitting Down in Our Seats and Getting Ready for the Show...

 

It was a magical night!  We enjoyed the performance very much.  I had just finished reading the book Heart of a Soldier by Pulitzer Prize-winning author James B. Stewart, so it was very interesting to see the story transformed with music.  The sets and backdrops were amazing; it is quite the art form that can successfully take the audience from England to Vietnam to New Jersey to the 9/11 World Trade Center with a few quick changes.  What also moved me was that Rick Rescorla's widow and best friend attended the performance the same night we did.  As I watched those characters on stage, I knew the real people who had lived through those experiences were viewing the opera right along with me.

It was a magical night I'll never forget!

Comments

[Norma]

Wonderful~~~what an evening. You deserved it!!! Love you very much.

[Valerie J. Frey]

Thanks, Norma! It was very exciting. :o)

[sara]

It was so great to have you and Brian there! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[Valerie J. Frey]

I was honored! I truly enjoyed it. The only thing was that I forgot to bring you a little bouquet of flowers to the stage door...too tangled up in thoughts of a babysitter putting Little Guy to bed! Sorry about that. :o)