Surprise Endings
I'm sitting in my office, in between one meeting and another (students! don't worry! I will grade your papers! really! no kidding!), and The Flying Dutchman is playing, as that's what we're going to go see on Sunday. I'm looking forward to this, cause I read the review of this production in the paper, and it sounds Vastly Entertaining. There was a picture of the set, which was Highly Innovative and involved Several Levels, all of which Had Meaning. Also, the review mentioned that this production has a Surprise Ending.
Oh, really.
I've been trying, ever since, to figure out a surprise ending for The Flying Dutchman. Senta doesn't die, maybe, and the Flying Dutchman sails off, doomed to another seven years of ghostly sailing until he can find some other wacky girl to devote her whole life to him even though he's dead, and his crew scares Even Norwegians, which is, in my experience, hard to do?
Or maybe there's some deus ex machina moment, and the Dutchman is released from the curse, on account of some technicality and the paperwork has only just caught up with him, since nobody could find him till he pulled into port, and then he and Senta get to go off and live in a little cottage, where, giving up the sea, of which he is heartily sick, he becomes a low-level civil servant?
Or maybe -- I'd like this -- the Entire Town dies, inundated by a giant wave. Yes, I'd like that. I admire death at the ends of operas -- especially if the singers are continuing to sing as they go under -- and I'd REALLY enjoy it if the entire town died. "Flying Dutchman! We all love you! We'll remain faithful unto death, just like that insane Senta! Even though we're Norwegian, and genetically less likely to be wackos than the entire rest of Western Europe!" After which, God, annoyed, sends a wave. Big wave. I'd like to see this done on stage, really.
No, I can't imagine, actually, how they're going to tack a surprise ending onto The Flying Dutchman. If you know, please do NOT abuse my comment function, oh so recently added for your reading benefit, by telling me what it is. If I'm going to stay awake throughout the entire opera, I want to know what the surprise ending is by being surprised by it.
Senta becomes sane all of a sudden, throws out her picture of the Dead Guy, and marries Eric, the boring but faithful guy down the street?
Actually, I might enjoy that as much as Mass Singing Death.
Singing Sanity. Now, there's an idea. SO non-operatic.
Oh, and by the way -- since, at the end of the opera, Senta and The Dutchman (does he HAVE a name?) rise up into heaven, represented by the catwalk, this is technically a comedy, as that's a happy ending.
Surprise!
Oh, really.
I've been trying, ever since, to figure out a surprise ending for The Flying Dutchman. Senta doesn't die, maybe, and the Flying Dutchman sails off, doomed to another seven years of ghostly sailing until he can find some other wacky girl to devote her whole life to him even though he's dead, and his crew scares Even Norwegians, which is, in my experience, hard to do?
Or maybe there's some deus ex machina moment, and the Dutchman is released from the curse, on account of some technicality and the paperwork has only just caught up with him, since nobody could find him till he pulled into port, and then he and Senta get to go off and live in a little cottage, where, giving up the sea, of which he is heartily sick, he becomes a low-level civil servant?
Or maybe -- I'd like this -- the Entire Town dies, inundated by a giant wave. Yes, I'd like that. I admire death at the ends of operas -- especially if the singers are continuing to sing as they go under -- and I'd REALLY enjoy it if the entire town died. "Flying Dutchman! We all love you! We'll remain faithful unto death, just like that insane Senta! Even though we're Norwegian, and genetically less likely to be wackos than the entire rest of Western Europe!" After which, God, annoyed, sends a wave. Big wave. I'd like to see this done on stage, really.
No, I can't imagine, actually, how they're going to tack a surprise ending onto The Flying Dutchman. If you know, please do NOT abuse my comment function, oh so recently added for your reading benefit, by telling me what it is. If I'm going to stay awake throughout the entire opera, I want to know what the surprise ending is by being surprised by it.
Senta becomes sane all of a sudden, throws out her picture of the Dead Guy, and marries Eric, the boring but faithful guy down the street?
Actually, I might enjoy that as much as Mass Singing Death.
Singing Sanity. Now, there's an idea. SO non-operatic.
Oh, and by the way -- since, at the end of the opera, Senta and The Dutchman (does he HAVE a name?) rise up into heaven, represented by the catwalk, this is technically a comedy, as that's a happy ending.
Surprise!
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