Word: chorused
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...period ever, but it was largely the result of massive advertising campaigns and $27.50 top seats at musicals and commensurately priced ones for dramas. The shows that succeeded, like Grease and Annie, did so by widening their audience appeal; consequently, both were enjoyable but neither was exceptionally memorable. A Chorus Line, Equus and Travesties proved that quality productions, even ones which aim at a fairly sophisticated level of intelligence, can still succeed financially, but in the '70s these stood as the all-too-rare exceptions...
...most cases, the singers are rather isolated from the extras, but I had friends in the chorus. I once met Beverly Sills, though. I was in The Siege of Corinth, a Rossini opera, which was her Met debut. I didn't think she was very good, actually. It was exciting, though, just meeting her. I didn't know what to say--I was a 15-year-old kid, I was terrified. We talked about the weather. She was very friendly...
...Being up close can sometimes affect the majesty of the performance. For example when, in a pause, you see the heroine turn around, face upstage, and spit. Somehow it destroys the romantic image, and it happens not infrequently. Also, a lot of times onstage the chorus chats. The Met's acoustics are incredible: you can sneeze or speak really loudly upstage, and nobody in the audience will hear it. Nevertheless, the director is not so fond of that...
...hear and see everything from incredibly close up. That's really what makes the whole thing so fantastic--you could be standing three feet away from the singer. You get incredible exhilaration: the sound is so fantastic, far better than from the audience. Especially if there's a chorus on stage, it's so full and rich and it comes from all around you. It just sweeps you away. And with most operas, the more you're in them, the more you really enjoy them. I've been in something like 30 Aidas, and each one is thoroughly enjoyable...
Young's voice remains confident in this version, and never wanders to the falsetto for which he is so often criticized. In fact, he belts out an unaccompanied chorus with strength and style. He no longer mourns for the lost days of his youth, but instead celebrates them...