Act Three

Puccini is a friggin' genius. Not only is the music sublime, but he's sense of dramaturgy is so unerring. PLUS he has the good sense to write really short acts. Love that.

My two favorite moments in Act Three - one is interpretative, the other the work itself. The first was so simple. Mimi (Kelly Kaduce - got to get in the habit of using the singer's name - I'm typing too fast) is leaving. Weak with consumption, she reached for the gate, but misjudged the distance, faltering for a microsecond. I don't know if it was by accident or design, but it was so touching, so real, so human. It really broke my heart.

This is what I love about art. The tiniest detail can pack such a punch and be so eloquent. It reminded me of seeing Veronica Villaroel as Violetta at the Met. I don't remember a thing about her singing, but I'll never forget her tiny white feet hanging lifeless from beneath her nightgown. If you amortize the memory of those moments over a lifetime, the cost of one's theater ticket actually turns a profit.

The second moment was actually the libretto - three simple words. "Addio, senza rancor." Goodbye, without rancor. The dignity in that farewell, the courage and compassion. It brings tears to my eyes. This is what I'm striving for in my own work - to dig deeper into human behavior. To see that accomplished so simply, in just three words. That's poetry.

Lastly, as much as I'm appreciating the show, I also find myself thinking about Rent a lot and what an amazing job Jonathan Larsen did adapting Boheme.