{"id":2399,"date":"2018-08-07T14:30:19","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T14:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/?p=2399"},"modified":"2018-08-07T16:35:59","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T16:35:59","slug":"groucho-chico-harpo-at-the-met-opera-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/07\/groucho-chico-harpo-at-the-met-opera-really\/","title":{"rendered":"Groucho, Chico, Harpo…At the Met Opera…Really?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Or…Can you believe it? To kick off the Met’s free outdoor\u00a0 HD festival they\u00a0 \u00a0will be showing\u00a0 the Marx Brothers’ classic film\u00a0\u00a0A Night at the Opera…\u00a0<\/em>with all its zaniness!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy t2.gstatic.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now talk about zaniness, not on the screen,\u00a0 occurring\u00a0 on the Plaza.\u00a0 \u00a0I’ve named it the Great Zany Seat\u00a0 Hunt to describe the annual ritual of finding the<\/strong><\/em> seat among the 3,000 available.\u00a0 If you’ve been reading my blog these past few years, you know I’ve written\u00a0 on the Great Zany Seat Hunt before, although this is the first time I’ve actually given it a name.<\/p>\n

Here’s how it works.\u00a0 \u00a0Visitors, New Yorkers, students, et al begin\u00a0 their search by\u00a0 moving\u00a0 from subways, buses, cars, apartments, hotels and even\u00a0 Airbnbs to the Plaza in front of the Met to find that<\/strong> <\/em>seat. Some regulars\u00a0 know to get their early and have no problem.\u00a0 But then there are the others who, in their naivete, think whenever they arrive it will be OK with a seat or seats\u00a0 just waiting.\u00a0 Those foolish, foolish opera fans.<\/p>\n

Hence, the Great Zany Seat Hunt and why I get there early, nabbing a seat on the aisle to watch the fun.\u00a0 \u00a0I have my hat, my sweater, my umbrella, my popcorn, my water,\u00a0 and my wine. I’m\u00a0 on the ready to take notes and\u00a0 photos of what’s about to unfold.<\/p>\n

Now some poor souls\u00a0 think that they\u00a0 can come minutes before the start of the film and find an open seat. Hah!\u00a0 \u00a0Good luck is what I always say to myself as I watch those optimists\u00a0 roaming the aisles.\u00a0 I see\u00a0 their\u00a0 heads turning left and right as they stare with a\u00a0 hopeful look at an empty seat only to have that hope\u00a0 dashed as the seat that looked\u00a0 empty was indeed… saved.<\/p>\n

Ah, the seat savers, the bane of those on the search but makes for good entertainment to those of us watching.\u00a0 \u00a0 The tension\u00a0 between the seat-saver and the wannabee seat-sitter is real life drama.\u00a0 Optimistic looks turn to cold stares and the face of the saver ranges from anxious to downright fear and then great relief with lots of arm waving\u00a0 as he or she sees her party arriving.<\/p>\n

\"Groucho<\/p>\n

Like in\u00a0 any theater as the lights dim, the audience settles down, so it is here as the huge screen lights up.\u00a0 Really late comers are helped to whatever seats are open by the nice\u00a0 security guards who also keep the aisles clear.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 They also tell those seat-savers, in a kindly manner, “Seats can’t be saved once the film begins.” Panic sets in again as desperate whispered calls go into a cell phone…”Where are you?”<\/p>\n

So ends the Great Zany Seat Hunt for this performance.\u00a0 If anything really interesting happens during the series, you know I’ll tell you all about it.<\/p>\n

This Marx Bros. film\u00a0 will be a really fun night and definitely a full\u00a0 plaza.\u00a0 \u00a0Come early! If you can’t,\u00a0 be prepared to join the Great Zany Seat Hunt. BTW\u00a0 many viewers\u00a0 prefer to stand in the back\u00a0 or the sides or bring a chair or sit on a blanket, especially if they bring their dog.<\/p>\n

Speaking of dogs… don’t forget to\u00a0 bring your snacks, your dogs, your kids, your friends, your relatives and be ready to forget everything else that’s going on around this crazy world… sit back and enjoy.\u00a0 \u00a0It is a joy!<\/p>\n

With the choice of this film, it\u00a0 goes to\u00a0 prove that even the powers that be at the Met are\u00a0 lovers of great crazy comedy…well maybe as long as there’s an opera involved. Bet those powers that be have never been part of the Great Zany Seat Hunt. Hmmmm?<\/p>\n

Here’s the full list of operas to be shown\u00a0 starting August 24<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Friday, August 24, 8 pm\u00a0 A Night at the Opera<\/em>
\nSaturday, August 25, 8 pm Rom\u00e9o et Juliette,<\/em> Gounod
\nSunday, August 26, 7:45 pm Norma<\/em>, Bellini
\nMonday, August 27, 8 pm Elektra,<\/em> R. Strauss
\nTuesday, August 28, 8 pm Il Barbiere di Siviglia<\/em>, Rossini
\nWednesday, August 29, 7:30 pm Lulu,<\/em>\u00a0Berg
\nThursday, August 30, 7:45 pm Rusalka<\/em>, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k
\nFriday, August 31, 8 pm L\u2019Elisir d\u2019Amore,<\/em> Donizetti
\nSaturday, September 1, 8 pm Un Ballo in Maschera<\/em>, Verdi
\nSunday, September 2, 7:15 pm Der Rosenkavalier<\/em>, R. Strauss
\nMonday, September 3, 8 pm Madama Butterfly<\/em>, Puccini<\/p>\n

Then ….Opening Night…SAINT-SA\u00cbNS\u00a0\u00a0Samson et Dalila<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 September 24<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOVE THIS CITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

KAY’S NOTES:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

IMPORTANT TO KNOW<\/strong>: “The most popular of 13 films created by the legendary Marx Brothers,\u00a0A Night at the Opera\u00a0endures as one of the funniest comedies to ever appear on the silver screen. The straightforward plot\u2014which follows the brothers as they try to launch the career of an aspiring Italian tenor\u2014allows ample opportunity for their trademark hijinks, from the witty banter of the Contract Scene to the film\u2019s raucous finale backstage at a performance of Verdi\u2019s\u00a0Il Trovatore. A co-presentation of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera ”\u00a0 from the Met website<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Metropolitan Opera | Summer HD Festival<\/a><\/p>\n

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GOOD TO KNOW<\/strong>:\u00a0 Reminder for a refresher course on maneuvering this series see my post\u00a0The Met Opera\u2026Free!
\n<\/a><\/strong>Under- Kay’s Notes-Good To Know
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo from film: Courtesy IMDb
\nPhoto of Plaza: Courtesy Metropolitan Opera website<\/p>\n

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Disclaimer: I try for correct info\u00a0 on my posts, but no guarantees people.<\/em><\/p>\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Or…Can you believe it? To kick off the Met’s free outdoor\u00a0 HD festival they\u00a0 \u00a0will be showing\u00a0 the Marx Brothers’ classic film\u00a0\u00a0A Night at the Opera…\u00a0with all its zaniness! Now talk about zaniness, not on the screen,\u00a0 occurring\u00a0 on the Plaza.\u00a0 \u00a0I’ve named it the Great Zany Seat\u00a0 Hunt to describe the annual ritual of … Continue reading “Groucho, Chico, Harpo…At the Met Opera…Really?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,17,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","category-kays-upcoming-picks","category-music"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7svLB-CH","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2399"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647,"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399\/revisions\/2647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaysnycways.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}