In 2008 we went on a family trip to Italy. One day we arrived in Verona in the midst of the opera festival, and like good tourists we purchased tickets to La Traviata. We entered the arena, gave up the seating cushions offered for sale and sat down on the stone benches. First mistake. We didn't have binoculars either. Second mistake. About half an hour into the show, my eyes began to close, and the only memory I had left of there was the frantic applause that woke me up from the deep sleep I had devoted myself to.
I can think of at least four reasons why people don't like opera: an event that goes on and stretches and stretches over a good few hours, takes place in a foreign and incomprehensible language, and centers on an outdated plot written several centuries ago. The last reason is that it is a (very) long listening to classical music, which for many is in itself enough to move uncomfortably - not to mention slightly irritated.
Israeli Opera | Season 22-23 | Theodore | Prosite! Israeli Opera
Fifteen years later, and after several operas I've watched since then, I came yesterday (Wednesday) to see the new production of the Israeli Opera, Theodore. This is a show that lasts only two hours (plus intermission), entirely in Hebrew, and at the center of the plot is the story of Theodor Herzl from his days as a young man in Vienna, until the moment he conceived the delusional idea of "establishing a state for the Jews." We stayed with the classical music.
The text was written by Ido Riklin, the music was composed by Yonatan Canaan. Phrases like, "Come and raise a glass with me, come sing with me, brother. Your heart is mine and my heart is yours" and the repeated "You have to close windows, raise and close curtains" felt a little old-fashioned, as if they had been taken from a time ago. But they are a drop in the ocean in an interestingly written story that took us on a journey between the most significant stops in Herzl's life: his entry into the German student union, the idea of mass conversion as a solution to Jew-hatred, coverage of the graduation ceremony of Dreyfus, who was accused of treason against his homeland, and others.
The performance of the singers also felt different this time. Oded Reich (as the adult Herzl) demonstrated impressive vocal abilities but also acting abilities that made me want to see him play in the theater, Anat Cherny (as Herzl's wife) melted my heart in the second act in a segment that I would love to hear again and again and again, and apparently the combination of Hebrew texts, a historical story that touches us all and a 100% blue and white production does its job.
The crowd cheers for "Theodore."
And a word about the production. Most of the performances that are staged in the opera are grandiose and boast spectacular décor, a cast of dancers and super elaborate costumes that are only why it is worth coming to see the show. All these usually support and enhance the storyline, and provide quite a few enjoyable "atmosphere" moments. Theodore had too few of them for my taste.
Without a doubt, the climactic moment belonged to the audience that stole the show. It began with thunderous applause for Herzl's promise that "we will give them dignity and protection, and they will be equal before the law." The context is clear, but come on... When did you see an audience react like that to an opera? And ended with applause, the likes of which I hadn't heard in a very long time. Although there were some who exchanged phrases like "it sounds like a musical" and "it's not really an opera," it's time to realize that the TikTok world needs to make adjustments in order to bring in an audience, and not insist on "educating" the masses, who will probably never buy a ticket to such an evening. And that's the best thing about Theodore. It's not for nothing that they decided today to add another show to the schedule.
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