A Night at the Opera

Music. Drama. Passion. Fancy dress and prom dresses. Add every connected gay man in Houston, and you have opening night at the Houston Grand Opera.

You can also add me, as I was lucky enough to be in attendance, courtesy of my friend Nancy, who had press tickets. She often needs a date, since her husband travels, and I was fortunate to be No. 1 on her list.

The entire evening was wonderful, from the pre-Opera talk - which I never think to attend, as it starts at 6.15 p.m., which requires leaving the house at 5, but was well worth it - to the actual performance (Verdi's Masked Ball). Plus we enjoyed all the sidelines of a night out - getting dressed up, a glass of champagne before the show, dessert at the intermission.

And the best part? I didn't have to drive! Well, not that I ever do, as Gary does the driving when he's with me. But still ... with a friend, it's always a possibility.

As it was opening night, it was black tie for much of the crowd; the patrons had a ball of some sort, complete with masks, beforehand (alas, our tickets must have been lost in the mail) ... So half the fun was picking out the prom dresses (there were several), opera suits (worn by those over 70), and the trophy wives - several of those, too.

What to wear is such a crap shoot these days - there is no consistency. Nancy and I wore the basic black skirt combo - a perfect choice, by the way - just ask us. But there was an extreme variety, from those in sundresses and flip flops to the afore-mentioned opera suit and gowns that looked like poor relations of Academy Awards gowns. Nancy said on Sunday afternoon, you're likely to see people in Birkenstocks.

Not that it really matters - I was there for the performance, which was, as always, fantastique! One of the advantages of the big city is the arts, so it was fun to take advantage. I can't quite swing a season ticket - they have 8 or 10 operas a year, so it's nearly an opera a month, which is tricky to coordinate with three children at home. But this one was perfect - Gary was still out of town, the girls were un-busy, and I was definitely in the mood for some Verdi.

Bella Noche.