What an evening! I had the perfect time final night time at opening night time of Rigoletto at The Dallas Opera. With its purple carpet premiere, after celebration, and status for being one in every of the style occasions of the season, I couldn’t have been extra excited to expertise it for myself! Large thanks to The Dallas Opera for internet hosting me. My good friend Hannah had by no means been to an opera earlier than so I used to be additionally significantly excited to introduce her to one in every of my favourite types of artwork.
We arrived hours early and parked within the Crimson Lexus Storage (so handy) and took the glass elevator as much as the road stage to search out the most important purple carpet I’ve ever seen. When The Dallas Opera says one thing is a purple carpet occasion, they’re not kidding round. Stretching from the road to the Winspear Opera Home and at the very least ten toes broad, this was a carpet worthy of a Hollywood premiere! We gleefully took ample quantities of images within the daylight earlier than anybody else arrived earlier than strolling over to dinner.
Proper throughout the road is a brand new Dallas sizzling spot: La Stella Cucina Versace. I believed Italian meals sounded perfetto earlier than our Italian opera however I used to be pleasantly shocked to see that I wasn’t the one one who thought that. The vast majority of the restaurant patrons had been in black tie on their method to the opera after dinner! I like that Flora Avenue has so many choices which you can stroll to earlier than a present.
La Stella couldn’t have been extra festive for the event with purple velvet couches, leather-based chairs, and plush indigo carpet. They even have opera artwork on the partitions and some opera specials on the menu!
We each ordered a Through Flora 23, a delightfully zesty lemon cocktail with Empress 1903 Gin, Italicus (a citrus aperitif), lemon, lavender, egg white, and creme de violette, and we break up the Calamari Ripieni, grilled calamari filled with ricotta served wtih potatoes, tomatoes, and spicy olives.
This calamari is motive sufficient to go to La Stella! It’s not each day you discover calamari on a menu that isn’t fried and this dish was an explosion of Mediterranean flavors. We ate each chew!
For dinner, I ordered Genovese della mamma, housemade pasta with braised quick rib and parmesan, with a glass of Nebbiolo, a pairing recommended by my server that fantastically complimented the quick rib. We additionally break up the truffle risotto, one in every of La Stella’s opera specials. I beloved the truffle taste and the meaty mushrooms but it surely might have been a bit creamier for my style.
After dinner, we ordered the Tante Palle, a powerful tower of profiteroles filled with a nutella and cream filling and served with wealthy chocolate sauce. I don’t even like profiteroles however I LOVED this dessert. Each profiterole I’ve ever eaten has paled as compared with La Stella’s heavenly hazelnut poofs.
We additionally obtained to strive the tiramisu, which I adored. I’m fairly choosy about tiramisu (why do American eating places are likely to put a lot alcohol in it?!) however this tiramisu was implausible, particularly washed down with a cup of espresso.
By now it was about 7:30 pm, the proper time to walk again over to the Winspear earlier than the present began at 8 pm. We picked up our tickets at Will Name and oohed and ahhed over the beautiful attire. I simply love folks watching at style occasions like this! We headed into the home and our jaws dropped once we realized we had second row tickets.
I gasped when the curtain rose and I noticed the grandeur of the set. That is precisely how I would like my opera to be: a spectacle for the eyes and ears. The set was large so think about my shock when it rotated. A turntable! It’s so uncommon to see a turntable on stage. The Dallas Opera spared no costly with this manufacturing.
I had by no means seen Rigoletto earlier than however I’m so happy that this was Hannah’s first opera as a result of what a beautiful first present! It actually has all of it: superb solos, well-known operatic numbers, love, betrayal, and a twenty-minute dying aria. At the same time as an opera fan, I admit that some reveals have a quite easy plot however in Rigoletto, no scene is wasted. I used to be shocked at how shortly the two hour, 40 minute run time flew by.
After the present, which obtained an enthusiastic standing ovation from a packed home, we walked again into the foyer to find charcuterie snacks and a swing band rocking the night time away on the opening night time after-party. This action-packed opera runs by means of October sixteenth and can make you chuckle and cry! This is likely one of the finest operas I’ve ever seen and I can’t suggest it sufficient. Get tickets right here.
Xoxo,
