On Saturday the Met will present the first of its live simulcasts, transmitting The Magic Flute in high-definition images and surround sound to some sixty theaters around the country. I’m not sure how the locations were selected, but it’s a remarkably even cross-section of red- and blue-state America, including Warrington, PA, Fort Myers, FL, Olathe, KS, Chamblee, GA, Fresno, CA, and Phoenix, AZ. Singer-blogger Campbell Vertesi, on seeing this list, complained that the Met was throwing away its resources on “communities that could give a rat’s ass about opera,” but, as it happens, many shows have already sold out, including those in the places named above. For more on the Met’s initiative, read David Patrick Stearns.
This is really interesting, and I would go to one of these. I would have a hard time in a real opera house (unless I lucked into great seats) but a theater might be more manageable. In the above excerpt, substitute “snob” for “Singer-blogger.” What a stupid thing to say.