#the opera is great the cast is good the production is thus far horrifically bad

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Faust (Vienna, 2021): Reactions, Part I

Two things before we start:

1. The first two acts are all I’ll watch for now because of a history club event at 7 PM, so stay tuned later tonight for the rest;

2. It has recently come to my attention that Kate Lindsey (subbing in for the originally announced Virginie Verrez) may or may not be a TERF; while I do not know either way for 100% sure, after some Internet Digging her husband is definitely a TERF, so...that’s both problematic and disappointing. *sigh*

okay, this aesthetic looks decent

JDF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hmmmmmmmmmm

this is gonna be SO GOOD (edit: to be clear, I was referring specifically to JDF’s performance, not to the production as a whole)

oh, a voodoo doll...

very clever Easter egg

“...did this just turn into the Met Vegas Rigoletto”

Mephisto is sensing a target

not a good move at all

yeah, Faust, why are you surprised

oh my god Faust you are SO DUMB

Nicole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

put my cinnamon roll baby DOWN

“dude you just drank some of the poison HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD”

“...because I’m Satan”

just a bit more than “presque rien”, dontcha think?

she’s so pretty also I simultaneously love and hate the idea that Méphistophélès just pointed to the nearest woman and was like “her. she’s gonna be the one whose life I fuck up because she just happens to be right there and it’s very convenient. like I don’t necessarily have anything against her, she just happens to be right there”

ew gross (he drew blood, which to be fair is correct but also...ew)

poof! look! a horny young tenor!

(the obligatory line)

this bops and everyone sounds good but this is starting to feel like some smoky fever dream

*cringe*

the soldiers keep trying to hang a French flag but the students keep tearing it down (given that the setting is apparently 1960s Paris...that tracks)

this is how they costumed Siébel??? *cringes in like six different ways*

“VIVE LA FRANCE”

on the increasingly-unlikely chance we get the Met’s new Don Carlos next February and March, this is the singer playing Rodrigue and he’s excellent

oh okay also as always, this BOPS

this constant use of continually moving video cameras/live feeds is going to make me lose it

I admire the bravado

“why isn’t my gun working”

he smashed up a crate and made a cross out of the pieces also I am absolutely cringing at this production’s take on Siébel like. what the fuck

I’ve also been annoyed with a lot of these subtitles

why are Faust and Marguerite dancing together???

YOU WERE LITERALLY DANCING WITH HER NINETY SECONDS AGO THIS PRODUCTION MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER

they have tiny Coca-Cola flags

oh thank GOODNESS they had her change costume but also Siébel is a woman?????????????

oh you two

well this is awkward

Siébel and I have the same opinion about the cameras

so now she’s spying on them???

okay I’m sorry but even though this cast is good (although not as good as the recent Paris cast) this production is awful and there’s a big part of me that does not want to watch any more

but on the other hand, perhaps I should just to give you the full report