What Happens Before Showtime at the New York Met
July 1, 2017 4:15 AM   Subscribe

 
That should be (SLNYTV), natch.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 4:16 AM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


That was delightful, thanks for posting it. You get a real sense of the immense community that inhabits the building. Also the stage manager at the end had an amazing voice.
posted by Diablevert at 5:19 AM on July 1, 2017


I could spend hours watching Misty Copeland do anything.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 7:56 AM on July 1, 2017


Yes, delightful is the word.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:31 AM on July 1, 2017


For a minute, I thought that said "New York Mets," and thought, "Well, we can use all the help we can get..."
posted by jonmc at 9:51 AM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


I'm so glad they identified the printer brand and model.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:07 AM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Not surprising but it is the nicest, expansive (huge corridors) back stage perhaps anywhere. Some great theaters are dark, grimy, ancient. The stage crew looks the same as everywhere, with the same 'tude. A smidge annoying that one can't scroll back and forth, definitely would roll back to see different parts.
posted by sammyo at 10:14 AM on July 1, 2017


What's kind of amazing is that even though the backstage is SO gigantic, every theater has some variation of all of those things going on behind it. The costume shop might be a high school classroom, or a tiny wardrobe container, but it still exists. Set storage might be a hallway. I was amazed by all of the lounges—the dressing rooms fill that role for the most part in smaller theaters.
posted by mynameisluka at 11:35 AM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


I didn't realize Mahler had recycled material from Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen for his first symphony.
posted by slkinsey at 11:45 AM on July 1, 2017


I have been a stagehand for 35 years and have visited New York many times. I have never had the pleasure of being backstage at The Met. Thanks for posting this. Break a leg!
posted by paralax at 12:52 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Ok, pausing to point out "The whole Twilight series" cracked me up.
posted by TwoStride at 3:43 PM on July 1, 2017


The video was posted to the NYT YouTube account, too.
posted by mountmccabe at 4:38 PM on July 1, 2017


A snow yak!

If you liked this, I also recommend The Paris Opera, which has no snow yak but has a live bull named Easy Rider.
posted by batter_my_heart at 7:43 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Cool! It's amazing to me how late they got into hair and makeup.
posted by imalaowai at 8:21 PM on July 1, 2017


I took a behind the scenes tour of the Lyric Opera of Chicago a couple of years ago, and it has transformed how I view Opera when I go during my regular subscription. That combined with a Live from Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Don Carlo I saw in the theater, where Deborah Voigt was the MC leading the audience through what goes on during scene changes, talking to the performers on how they keep their voices fresh for what is usually a lot of vocal fireworks that happen at the end of operas, etc. etc.; gives you a new added insight and appreciation for what goes on in the actual production. And when you are on Stage and look back at the seats, and realize that the singers have to project their voice all the way to the back, makes you realize the amount of training that goes into making your voice do that.

Reading this reminds me I need to do that Lyric Tour again as a refresher. Especially now that I actually know the leader of the gang (Auxiliary Board) that actually puts this together. :) The most surprising thing I learned was the rehearsal space adjacent to the stage is exactly the same size as the regular stage so they can get the positioning of everyone correct.

When I realize that what I see costs me only about 35 bucks (for what I consider really good seats in the First Balcony); I always add a little extra when I send in my subscription. I totally get it why Wagner called Opera "Gesamtkunstwerk".
posted by indianbadger1 at 12:02 PM on July 3, 2017 [1 favorite]


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