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Hey Friends,
Guess where I went for my birthday last weekend? Go ahead, guess….I’ll wait! No, it wasn’t to a Falcon’s game. I went to the Atlanta Opera to see “West Side Story”. To say I was blown away would be an understatement, but I really was blown away by the whole experience. Ya’ll know I’m from the country and for some reason, I thought the opera was for those ritzy folk. Well, call me ritzy, because I can’t wait to go back.
The performances for the Opera take place at the www.cobbenergycentre.com and although the traffic getting there was well, Atlanta traffic, the parking was great. The garage was right next to the Center and the parking fee was only $10. We were fortunate enough to get on the second level in the garage and walked straight into the building.
The best things about this excursion was that my daughter, Mishon, joyfully accompanied me. Unbelievable, I know, but because it was my birthday weekend, she decided to grace me with her presence. Don’t you know how rare it is nowadays for a teenager to spend time with a parent? That was a birthday present in itself. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when she agreed – birthday, or not! The funny thing is though – she was surprised at how much she enjoyed the show.
It was great that this opera was in English and we were able to follow the story line, but that was only part of it. The music, singing and dancing was remarkably performed, and the set was so detailed, I felt like a fly on the wall at Doc’s drugstore. The whole production transported us back to the 1950s when the original “West Side Story” was written and scored.
I don’t know whose decision it was to bring this production to Atlanta, but most of the audience members, myself included, thought it so ironic that the challenges U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico faced back in the 50s are still present today (SMH). The song that received the loudest applause was the cast singing “America”. We all laughed aloud when Anita sang, “Puerto Rico is in America!” Yeah, we know it’s a territory, but still….
Friends, I gotta tell you something else though. The tickets to go to the Opera were F- R- E-E. Yes, they were provided free of charge to veterans from The Home Depot foundation. All you do is go to www.Atlantaopera.org >tickets>veterans’programs. You fill out an online form and the tickets are mailed to you. I’m telling ya’ll this because I want you (yes, you) to be one of those ritzy folks right along with me. Go order your tickets for the next show and I’ll see you there!
Cheers!
