I attend the met he performances. Saw Manon yesterday. My favorite is watching the set changes. I would love to work backstage where the magic is
5
First, many thanks for the Met’s opera performances, its superb orchestra, stagehands, and all crews. None is paid enough - particularly its behind the scenes workers. To compare, consider the beauty and uplift of great performances VS. the greed and profiteering of bankers etc. EG. From the NYT “....All told, the bonus pools at the nine banks that received bailout money was $32.6 billion, while those banks lost $81 billion....” Lets think about that. Link here
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/business/31pay.html
2
Thank you more than I can say for the wonderful trip down memory lane. My husband, Kenneth died 3 years ago. We lived in DC many years before retiring to Ashland in 2000. We took the AmTac to NYC to relish every aspect of the Met. Opera in Baltimore was not to be missed. We saw James Morris in MacBeth there. After a weeks of Opera in Vienna we were told by our guide that the Met was his all time favorite of all the opera he had attended world-wide. The group had people who had seen the Ring many times thus we kept our comments to ourselves. It was a wonderful experience. I now see the HDTV versions in Medford OR a short distance from Ashland (Home of the Ashland Shakespeare Festival). Many kudos for the back stage view which we saw briefly trying to get out of the way. Loved all of it.
2
Thank you for this wonderful behind-the scenes look at the Met, but I have to wonder why more modern productions don't employ high tech visual projections for backdrops and limit the physical props? Is this partially a union issue?
5
I saw the VERY LONG streamed broadcast of "Manon", from the Met..(4+hours)..yesterday in my local movie house...and it was glorious. I have been a fan of these wonderful instantaneous trips to the Met and NYC for many years, When I lived in Manhattan, a 15 minute IRT subway ride to Lincon Center and the Met, I never could afford the prices there. I have been making up for those 30 years for about 10 years now. What a treat!
Yesterday, they had 3 intermissions and each one was filled with features including the HD team, the stage hands, electricians and carpenters who manage all the scenary, as well as interviews with leading singers, and a quick birds eye video of the changing scenary for the 4 operas mentioned in this article. So many fascinating features have been inserted into intermission time over the years. These streamed operas are treasures. Sitting in the Met live does not include these, as far as I know...so again, the joy of the ticket price..$25.00, shines, compared to the price of sitting in the Met, at well over 15 times the price for a seat in the first row, orchestra...where I always sit..now in a well cushioned recliner, legs elevated...totally comfortable. Peter Gelb may be controversial, but I thank him every time I see a new..or old opera.
14
Why can’t I find any mention of the Met’s fabulous and overworked Orchestra?
13
So missed the obligatory negative comments about the President in the article and comments. Otherwise, a fascinating look at the behind the scenes world of the greatest opera company in the world.
1
I wish there had been comparisons between the Met's ability to stage multiple operas and how other opera companies around the world have evolved. Scenic elements, at the Paris Opera for example, can be automatically moved stage left, stage right, above the stage and below the stage, easily allowing multiple weekend ballet and opera performances Other theaters around Europe have updated and automated much of the scenery movement. Do we know how the Met compares with them?
4
Love the article and the nod to the highly-skilled labor force behind the scenes. What's missing from this article is a better understanding of lighting.
And to the readers that are complaining about the high salaries of the technical staff, I assume you also complain about the high salaries of pro sports stars, movie stars, and hedge fund managers. Don't devalue the work because you don't understand it. You are indeed a petty patron if you won't purchase a ticket because of how much the technical staff are paid.
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Tricky scene changes must sometimes be rehearsed like tricky musical moments. Stage hands work hard—intermittently. It’s sad to see those pictured appearing so unhealthy. What other six-figure earners take such poor care of themselves? Or rather, their high(-ish) compensation is fair for the inevitable negative impacts of working split shifts and multiple shifts.
What do choristers make? Costume changes make good visuals, but remember, they are playing four roles if two days, from memory, in multiple languages.
7
@Jennifer Why the need to body shame the stage crew?
8
One thing that stands out is none of these operas were designed to work in rep. Was any thought given to this? The designs for La Boheme and Turandot are over the top. Both should be retired. Dare I say, Turandot, itself should be retired.
2
@Robert
I saw Turandot live in HD production which opened the 2019-20 HD season. Parts of that over-the-top production reminded me of Super Bowl halftime shows.
But I didn't care because the music and singing were so wonderful.
2
@Robert The reason that it’s possible to make these amazing quick changes is that they were designed to function in a repertory house. All the productions at the Met are.
4
@Robert
I saw Turandot at the Met precisely in the hope that it would be over the top. It was amazing, the set, the singing, everything. I've seen it in SF, and in Rome, and this was the best. Over the top? It better be, it's opera, not a Samuel Beckett play.
4
Fantastic! I congratulate both the wither of this interesting article, and the MET crew. Everyone is worthy os praise. They work very hard to present the best opera experience to those who love opera. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I admire everyone who is there, taking it all seriously and competently. My recognition and admiration to all. Congratulations!
15
Thank you NYT. A delightful article. Made my day. The nay sayers will never get how amazing real theatre can be. Sorry for them.
24
Since the way they treated Placido Domingp I have no interest in the Met. I am just glad that I got to see him perform before they so disgracefully treated him. I am glad that the European House had the maturity to have him performing on their states.
He is still one of the great singers and the Met treatment was shameful.
13
The stage crew start at $350k and go up to $500k. Nice work if you can get it.
I won’t be purchasing tickets.
3
@Martin
Some days they work close to 24 hours and they have to function as experienced engineers. They are not overpaid.
31
@Martin, While it's true that over the holidays, some stagehands are asked to work 18+ hour days and up to six or seven days a week, and therefore accrue a significant amount of overtime pay, the truth is most MET stagehands make closer to $46.00 an hour / $97,000 per year. Those that do accrue that overtime, do so at the sacrifice of not seeing their own families over the holidays. I've never understood this line of thinking... Just because somehow has negotiated a good deal for themselves, doesn't mean it was taken away from you. Doctor's, Lawyers, and Hedge fund gurus negotiate good deals for themselves too. They have their specific skills as do the stage hands.
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@Martin airline pilots make that much and do nothing but watch a automated machine function. You going to stop traveling too? No, they don’t spend decades training and are not required to be smart.
18
Disappointed!!
Was expecting cool charts and summaries of HOW MANY people, how much equipment, how many hours for each show etc.
4
The writer should also give a shout out the PSM, assistant stage managers, technical director and design and department heads that collaborate with the amazing crew. As a former production stage manager (PSM), having worked at the nation's other leading cultural institution, DC's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, this is incredible work by the dedicated stagehands and crew, who, along with stage management, make it all work seamlessly.
32
The time-lapse video is the most amazing part of this article. I would have loved for that to be explored in more detail, perhaps as an interactive video with time tags for the scenes of each opera - or even just the ability to make it full screen and have controls!
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@Lucas Yes I thought so too
2
@Lucas Google San Francisco Opera Timelapse for more videos like that one.
Don’t remember where I heard it but this supports the truism that nothing is more expensive to mount than opera, except war.
24
This article is testament to the great coordination and organizational skills, craftsmanship, and incredibly long hours put in by so many IATSE union Stagehands, Theatrical Wardrobe Artist, Make-Up Artists, Hair Stylists, and Scenic Artists, often giving up weekends and holidays with their own families, to bring these performances to life, on-time, every time! Bravo to all IATSE members at the MET, and thank you!
49
The video is an amazing study in project management. I'd love to get a glimpse of the planning flow sheets. Bravo and brava to the unsung stage managers of this herculean task.
28
Sunday matinees? "Giving people what they want"? What is this world coming to?
1
@Norman
Amen. *sigh
@Norman Its senses?
1
I've long imagined being a part of the stage crew that helped with setup and waited in the wings, or where ever, to dash into action at every change of scenery .
8
That time laspe video gave me vertigo.
3
One of the great pleasures of the HD broadcasts is that during intermissions we get to see the D-Day-like precision that an army of stage hands maneuvers to get one scene down and another up. To watch this during the recent TURNADOT is to be truly astonished. Seeing how the scenic sausage is made is truly delicious. I'm so glad for the new Sunday matinees, ALL six of my orchestra seats this season are for Sat or Sun matinees. I love getting back home before it's really late.
35
@Andrew Rudin I hear you re the matinees, but I've always looked forward to a fancy dinner out just before an evening performance. I don't often eat at fancy places...
@thad One nice thing about matinees is that you can have that nice meal AFTER the performance instead of before, have plenty of time to relax at dinner without worrying if you're going to make the curtain, etc., and you don't head into the opera after wine and meal, so you're more likely to stay awake and enjoy the whole thing.
22
@Andrew Rudin
It's amazing to ee these people literally build a new set from scratch during the intermission. MOre insight about the process after taking the Met backstage tour in April when I was in New York.
6
My favorite time to see the MET is either Saturday matinee or evening. Adding a Sunday show will give us weekend arts people who travel into the city another option. Though I agree, this isn't a headline story.
3
Offering Sunday matinees had become an absolute necessity at the Met Opera. As far as I know, they were the only major opera company not doing this. Everywhere I have gone around the US including SF, Chicago Lyric, Opera Philadelphia, etc., Sunday matinees have long been part of the schedule and were quite popular. I believe that this will help attendance quite a bit. People simply have more time on the weekend.
22
Gosh I am getting tired of these distracting videos in the middle of the page one news. And the stories they promote are not vital ones. Today there are two.
If the paper wants its readers to focus on content, it is undermining its own aims. These visual distractions literally tax the brain's processing capacity.
Management, please become educated; start with The Shallows by Nicholas Carr.
6
@Door's Mom I will happily disagree with you. The NY Times is so much more than "news". I grew up reading the times more than half a century ago. Whatever the Times writes about, it does it well. Rather than bemoan the intrusion, celebrate the diversity of quality content, and the Times willingness to bring it to the forefront. I know I certainly do.
22
I agree with @Door's Mom. There's a point at which the video content destroys the ability to focus on the article. NYTimes should find a way to segregate or at least customize content so that people who can't read an article while watching a video (are there people who can?) don't have to view them together.
3
Bravo to the Met's achievement. Keep up the good work.
23
I wonder where they go for after-show drinks. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that place.
13
Reading this, all l see is jobs jobs jobs. Stagehands, technicians, costume artists, musicians, front-of-house staff, maintenance, production staff, and so on. Most of them (I’m assuming) union jobs.
After reading decades worth of stories about the decline in arts funding, orchestras and opera companies going under or struggling mightily, it’s refreshing to see the business of fine arts being successful.
69
@Ed Oh, yes, they're all union jobs. Getting marathons like this accomplished requires lots of overtime - which is why donations are an absolute necessity to keep the Met in operation. Nobody could afford to pay the ticket prices that would be required in the absence of donations. If you want to keep the fine arts successful, feel free to become a patron!
I hope the income from the Sunday matinees comes close to covering the overtime costs . . .
14
@Ed , I'm sorry to tell you that most performing arts organizations are considered well-run if they EARN 50% of the cost of the performances. The rest of those costs must be RAISED from individuals, foundations, and (a microscopic proportion) government grants.
What's really interesting about Sunday matinees (besides shifts in American life-culture) is the legions of short-sighted and unsophisticated management decisions made by past generations of Met Opera leadership. They rival the American auto industry's past efforts to buy quick labor peace by agreeing to a patchwork of unsustainable work practices.
What I'm talking about is, for example, is agreeing to pay extra to work on Sunday because the management never expects to work on Sunday! Another example could be agreeing to pay chorus members for delayed meals. But then some opera schedule requires chorus members to have a costume fitting or to dress for an opera just before their meal break. But eating in costume is both a bad practice, and specifically forbidden!
I'm not telling a story about abusive labor practices, I'm telling a story about careless management. Surely you think that people should be able to eat every five hours or so?
2
@Tim, It's neither short-sighted nor unsophisticated management decision making to pay skilled technicians over-time for working beyond a 40 hour week, Monday through Friday, let alone asking them to work through the weekend. Additionally, meal penalties, for not breaking employees for a meal every six hour (6 AM to 12 Noon for example) are a deterrent against potentially abusive management and insure that employees are functioning at their best. Why is that wealthy patrons feel that they deserve a civilized lunch and weekends free to, oh say, perhaps catch a matinee at the MET, but that the artists and craftspeople doing the work on a Sunday should not compensated for giving up their weekends?
27
As a former set designer in theatre and television who has done everything from small theatre pieces to arena-filling award shows, and so is familiar with the intense pressures of technical theatre, I can say there is nothing to compare to this undertaking of four shows in rep over one weekend.
50
 I find it hard to believe that my first visit to the met was 1963 down on Broadway. It is one of the great treasures of our culture. Will be coming up from North Carolina December to see Akhnaten and queen of spades. And we love the HD down here in Asheville North Carolina. But I do think the extravagant productions can be too much. For example the ring with the machine.Why why why. I have seen Lepage do other work in particular the Nightingale in aix Provence. And also Coriolanus which was incredible at Stratford. But the machine was a waste of millions of dollars. Turandot and Aida well maybe you have to go spectacular but sometimes I think about the ring of the early 50s beyreuth on a barren stage with stark lighting and superb singers. Parsifal on that bare stage three years ago was also stunning. Peter -/sometimes less could be more.
10
Putting on four shows over the weekend is indeed hard work, but it’s not particularly remarkable, and so the question becomes why we all are being offered another puff piece on the Met Opera?
1
@P.S. this is the first season of the Sunday shows, so the first season of 4 fully-staged operas taking place. And, as you can read in the article, it's likely that the Met is the only company in the world not just attempting this, but actually doing it remarkably. And that work is done by hundreds of talented people backstage who don't get the limelight. Why begrudge them a well-earned moment in the sun?
74
@P.S.
Not particularly remarkable?
No opera house in the world pulls off four grand operas in that timeframe on this scale.
In the world.
And it happens several times in a season that stretches from September until May, that includes 25 operas, five of which are new productions, plus a gala or concert here and there.
To me, that's not puffy...
And reading about it is an extremely pleasant respite from the disastrous news stories coming at us from all quarters.
99
@P.S. Go work with the staging crew.
29
i call for a moratorium on this dreadful underexposed off white balance trend in photography asap
2
It’s the amateurish flash photography that needs to go.
2
In the far reaches of Texas wilderness and beyond, the Met Live on theater screens is a miracle of technology. I can attest to the fact that in some ways opera on televised settings is as good as at Lincoln Center and, in some ways, better. Way up and back in the sixth tier of the Met it was difficult to hear and see. That is the truth. For $20 dollars in Harlingen, Texas, I am treated to excellent sights and sounds of the best opera house in the world.
43
@Lara I fully agree. Having reached an age when I require a hearing aid in both ears, sound fidelity is not such a pressing issue. I too enjoy the closeups and better views. My local theater now offers recliners---a far cry from the seats in the opera house.
As poor Queen Dido cries out in the last scene of Les Troyens, "The fates are against us." Opera ticket sales are going down and those that do attend will likely not be doing so in a decade or so. I hope making performance times more convenient to working people and us seniors who do not like late hours will increase patronage.
18
@Lara
I love the Met in HD. I take public transportation to the theater, have a great seat and while there really is nothing like being at a live performance, this is far and away the next best thing. And, living in the Bay Area, I can attend San Francisco Opera for live performances. Last night it was their new production of The Marriage of Figaro. I have the best of both worlds!
6
@Lara
We usually see a few productions in the very reasonably priced Family Circle seats each season. Hearing is not a problem, but seeing details is. So we also go to HD performances of operas we want to see well in addition to hear well. And of course we listen to the Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts. So we were able to experience The Exterminating Angel three times! This season, I think we're doing multiple Aknatens.
Another advantage of the HDs is being able to watch some of the set changes as they happen.
3
Let's not forget the herculean task set upon the orchestra's musicians for this 48 hour run.
95
@William
Amen!
19
@William and the chorus!
10
They don’t have just one orchestra. No one player will be playing all those shows.
3
I’ve had a Met subscription for over 40 years and love it. The burden on the house of daily performances without a break must be awful. One possible solution is to schedule more dark nights during the week when attendance is generally lower; they’ve done this for a few years now. Another is to simply schedule a dark night all season. Monday night has a long tradition at the Met (it used to be the formal night, men in tuxes etc.) so cancellation might be met with a rebellion, but maybe Tuesday is a possibility.
5
@Alex Kent - A good article highlighting the important work and contributions by a skilled team that deserves the recognition! I imagine they also like the pay - don't forget they get paid by the hour. I wonder their reaction at the offer to cut their hours!
1
@Alex Kent As a frequent visitor to the city, I live the fact that the Met has performances on Monday nights, a night when most Broadway shows are dark. It gives me an option when there’s not much else to do.
3
Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been a breath of air musically and to the overall excitement and energy at the MET since last year. I would give him a shout out and wonder what else he would imagine to bring opera another level of accessibility.
26
@William Last weekend, Mr. Nézet-Séguin conducted Mahler #5 on Friday morning in Philadelphia . Saturday afternoon he conducted Turandot at the Met and then whisked back to Philadelphia to conduct Mahler again back in Philly- a concert I attended sitting on the above-the-stage seats. Maestro N-S was full of energy and wrought a performance on the Mahler that was exhilarating. His passion never flourished throughout the 80 minute work. He was a marvel.
21
In times like these we need the arts to shine brightly. Thanks to The Met for bringing even more light than before. Thanks to the New York Times and Mr. Cooper for bringing us this story. Too bad our federal agencies, who could use some light, will not see it.
59
I know the opera is expensive but, relatively speaking, it’s a steal. A good opera stays with you forever. I’ve been to many not so good operas at the Met (Turandot was one but that was over decade ago), but I can still close my eyes and recall stunning moments from Orfeo and Butterfly. I wish there was a way to get everyone into an opera once: just not Hansel and Gretel, that was real pain and I can still feel that pain many years later.
23
@Billy Bobby
I try my best to get the people I know "into an opera once." This means taking them to the opera house when I can but especially inviting them to the HD broadcasts, all of which I attend. I send out an email blast to about 25 people for each HD broadcast reminding them of the upcoming performance and giving them some background about the opera. I include my own "takes" on singers, composers, and productions. I also invite them to phone me during the intermission so we can compare notes on the performance, as if we were at Lincoln Center together. While not all of them make it to the cinema, they all seem to enjoy the "prod."
For the upcoming broadcast of "Madame Butterfly," I'll be traveling to Georgia to take my 95-year-old mother, my brothers, and various nieces and nephews to see this wonder in the tiny town of Newnan. Fantastic!
33
@Billy Bobby
My family shares a season package and I agree. Hansel and Gretel was awful. It got rave reviews but the sets were so depressing and the oven scene at the end brought up news images of concentration camps. 5 kids, 2 grandparents and my sister and I all found it repellent.
2
@Billy Bobby
It's expensive only because people think they have to sit downstairs. The Family Circle (nose-bleed) is no more than cost of a nice dinner without drinks-$30 and the sound is better upstairs than more expensive seats.
3
We have tickets for Turandot on Saturday EVENING beginning at 8:30 (I had been wondering why it was later than usual) ... Checking the Met's calendar, Manon is listed as the Saturday matinee (as well as HD performance) and Turandot is the evening performance. So looking forward to Turandot tomorrow evening (I hope!)
2
If the Met wants to increase audiences for their performances they should start them no later than 7 pm at least during the week. I am a passionate opera lover, but I also have job and a commute. Most of their public either works or retired. In both cases late nights and very long intermissions are making attending performances very difficult.
35
@Grisha That is exactly why the Met has added the Sunday matinees - to accommodate fans with jobs. There are often seats available for Saturday matinees, too. Please come!
9
Some of Mr. Gelb's productions strike me as mechanical. But, Bravo to him for this wonderfully ambitious and thrilling week-end of operas! Last year I visited Rome where the Rome Opera House present one opera per month.
13
I recently had the pleasure of seeing five operas (Turandot, a rehearsal of Madama Butterfly, Porgy and Bess, Macbeth, and Manon) within a 48 hr period at the Met. I am in awe whenever I attend any event there. The level of excellence they bring to the art form is unsurpassed.
62
I have twice taken the back-stage tour at the Met. There is no other way to appreciate the varied expertise of hundreds of devoted workers from electricians and carpenters to hairdressers who make every production possible, and are unseen to the cheering audience.
39
@Richard Coulson I too have taken the back-stage tour of the Metropolitan Opera. If anyone has the time, please do so. It is worth every penny you spend on it. Besides, you may get a glimpse of the never seen but often heard pipe organ the Met has....although seeing Nessie is statistically more likely!
10
@John B. Make it 3 for the backstage tour. I went on Easter Sunday this year. Amazing and awesome are so overused words but not for the Met tour. The amount of work and the expertise of the workers who do it are what help to make the Met what it is. When we are in the audience (we had seen La Traviata the night before) you devote your attention to the singers and the music before thinking very much about the production itself. After the Met tour i had a better idea of what it took to mount any opera on the Met's vast stage. And, of course, the world class orchestra, world class conductors and great singers!
2