Just a Gigolo

So I saw Don Giovanni last night. Three hours of Mozart music is compelling - thrilling stage productions are fun, too. And it's always great to spend quality time with my cultured father-in-law.

You have to play to the audience, of course. The high school and college age kids near me were talking back to the characters. They giggled through the Don's conquests like an MTV reality show. I suppose that's how many reacted back in Prague during the late 18th century when the work premiered.

We all gasped when the Commendatore shows up to drag the Giovanni off to the hell he deserves. You gotta go for broke on the statue make-up and costuming. After people have sat through/endured three hours of opera, you gotta give them a great push-off, you know? Smoke, fire...."SMOG!"

Placido Domingo, this season's director of the WNO, was the guest conductor last night, as well. He's one of the most famous tenors of the 20th century, you may have heard. Apparently he's also a big deal behind the baton:



On our way home on the Metro, some drunks stumbled on our train after evidently seeing Van Halen at the Verizon Center. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about Diamond Dave (apparently, he was holding court earlier in the day at Camelot, the same DC...ahem..."gentlemen's club" some of my friends took me to during my bachelor party a month or so back). It's just really obnoxious to be sober when you have a bunch of loud assholes around you, I suppose. Plus it's not really a full VH reunion. Pour a little of your Jack Daniels bass guitar out for Mr. Michael Anthony.