CXXVIII: Catman vs. Hamster

I woke up early today (for a Saturday) to watch Armida with RaeRae - an encore broadcast of the Met's Live in HD Series. You may recall that I had also watched this live at the Lincoln Center a few weeks ago. Well, that was the plan...instead I fell asleep through the first and third acts.

Today I realized how much I had missed in New York: entire scenes and arias! And I was drifting in and out of sleep so much that evening that I barely had a grasp of the plot. I'm glad I got to redeem myself today. I only fell asleep through a few minutes of the third act!

A few funny points:

• In New York the only act I saw in its entirety was Act II - and this is mostly ballet, not singing
• The Furies look like catmen (above)
• Barry Banks, who plays Gernando, looks a lot like a hamster. Specifically, as RaeRae put it, the hamster in the movie Bolt (above right). Banks is short, has small teeth, and was bearded in the production
• The catmen/furies were very cute and funny in Act II. One of the dancers used his tail to playfully whip a nymph. A few of them wore tutus. It explains why I only made it through this act.

I love Renée Fleming.