Lucia di Lammermoor

So, not too long ago, I went to see The Met’s new production of Lucia di Lammermoor, starring Natalie Dessay as Lucia. There’s been a lot of buzz about the new production. Mostly about how good Natalie Dessay is, her performance has even drawn comparisons to Maria Callas and Dame Joan Sutherland! This is my favorite opera – so I was really excited.


Here’s a pic I took the night of the show – you can see the Met’s gone all out, draping the outside of the opera house with banners promoting Lucia. For this production, the setting was changed from 17th century Scotland to a more Victorian era, which I thought worked really well, especially given the role of women in this opera.


Dessay was Amazing – one could easily see where the comparisons were coming from. So, I was having a really nice night, you know… none of the usual chaos involved with concerts, but about halfway though the first act, something was really starting to bother me.


As I said, I really liked the sets, what they did with the bare trees and the updated setting, but something about that set was really eating away at me. I thought I was going nuts, so I took a pic…..


Yes know, bad, taking pics at the met, but none of the reviewers , nor the 80 something met regulars were going to get the reference.


Here’s a better shot of the model for the set. Now, I know that Mary Zimmerman was looking at an actual Scottish castle when designing the set, but still, the resemblance was enough to creep me out.


A little to close to someone’s backyard. Way too close when I’m trying to mind my own business at the opera…


Again, I can’t say enough good things about Natalie Dessay, she killed in the third act. So, after I sobbed though the much of the mad scene…I noticed something odd about the final set. Here's a pic of the set's model:


The rest of the opera being fairly natural looking – I thought the giant moon behind an open set was kinda weird and out of place. Perhaps this was meant to conjure up some Victorian ideas of Lunacy and Hysteria I thought… but it wasn’t until the next morning that I finally realized how much it reminded me of another production of Lucia’s mad scene.


Again, another strikingly similar reference to odd-fuck sci-fi. Almost makes one wonder, why next to all the comparisons to Callas and Sutherland’s performances, there was no comparison also to Plavalaguna’s.

Damn Zimmerman! Scottish castle my ass – I think you and I were watching way too much of the same shit on TV. So you tell those blue haired old ladies whatever r you want to explain your production – but I think you and I both know where you’re real inspiration came from. Rock on!